SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Chicago residents have been bracing for the Trump administration to escalate immigration enforcement in the city and to deploy the National Guard. In a social media post today, Trump said, quote, "I love the smell of deportations in the morning," referring to increased actions in Chicago. But that didn't stop residents from coming out to celebrate the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month in a largely immigrant neighborhood. Adriana Cardona-Maguigad from member station WBEZ, is here to tell us more of this. Hi, Adriana.
ADRIANA CARDONA-MAGUIGAD, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: Let's start with this. There was more to the president's post today. Can you describe it for us and tell us about the local reaction?
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: Yeah, that post on Trump's Truth Social also said, quote, "Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of War." The president yesterday signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War, but Congress would need to make that official. Illinois governor JB Pritzker responded on social media saying, quote, "the president of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal."
DETROW: Yeah. In the meantime, you're at a Mexican Independence Day parade today in an immigrant neighborhood. People were gathering, even as many people are worried about being detained, about these broader threats. I'm curious what you saw.
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: Yeah. Well, at first, the parade route seemed kind of empty on the sidewalks, but after it started and the main floats began to roll out - the horses, the music, and people marching in the parade, cheering - it attracted more people. There was noticeable police presence, elected officials, and mostly citizens with immigrant roots, who came out in support and to criticize the president's threats. Claudia Ramirez was there with her two children. She's a U.S. citizen with roots in Mexico.
CLAUDIA RAMIREZ: It's unjust, what's going on. And it feels like a personal attack. Yes, on immigrants, but also it feels if you're - you're coming to Chicago on our - on a celebration of Mexican Independence Day. It feels more of a personal attack to Mexico right now.
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: Despite the fears, the mood, though, was still celebratory, and people were proud, and some residents in the neighborhood where the parade was held said there were clearly more - there was clearly more enthusiasm this year than other years.
DETROW: Did you talk to anybody who could be directly affected if immigration enforcement really does kick up in Chicago?
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: Well, I spoke to mostly the U.S. citizens who were out patrolling the area and ready for - just to document any immigration enforcement actions. One food vendor, though, who's trying to get his immigration status in order and who asked me not to record him said, he's been avoiding the news and was almost in disbelief. He said he was very afraid.
And then I run into M. Mejia, who asked that we not use his full name because he, you know, fears deportation. He was in the parade waving the Mexican flag, and he's here under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as the DACA program. It's a program for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
M MEJIA: I'm scared, too, but, you know, I'm here for my parents. I'm here for my family, for my kids, because even though me, myself, could get deported at any time, I know that we're good people. We got work ethic. We got good hearts. We're family people.
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: Mahia said he felt safe at the parade today. You know, he's - but he's definitely being careful every time he leaves his home and has created a plan with his wife in case he gets arrested and deported.
DETROW: And we started with those threats from the president. Have there been any immigration arrests today so far elsewhere in Chicago?
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: Well, I've seen some unconfirmed reports of arrests in other parts of the city in some of the rapid response channels that I follow, but we're expecting to see a lot more of that in the next couple of days.
DETROW: That is WBEZ's Adriana Cardona-Maguigad. Thank you so much.
CARDONA-MAGUIGAD: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
