Chicago residents have been on edge at the possibility of President Donald Trump deploying federal immigration agents and the National Guard in Chicago this week. Several Mexican-American groups have now canceled or postponed Mexican Independence Day celebrations in response.

Mexican Independence Day falls on Tuesday, Sept. 16, and marks the day Mexico gained freedom from the Spanish Empire in 1810. In Chicago, the El Grito festival that was planned for Sept. 13 and 14 in Grant Park was postponed. The festival that pays homage to “The Cry of Independence” or “El Grito” drew 24,000 attendees last year. Organizers are in the process of refunding tickets, according to the festival’s website.

In Waukegan, a suburb around 45 miles north of Chicago, Fiestas Patrias, an independence day parade that was planned for next Sunday, Sept. 14, has been postponed as of Wednesday. Organizer Margaret Carrasco said she may cancel “Day of the Dead” celebrations at the start of November as well and postpone all festivities to December.

Carrasco said that she decided to cancel the parade because her neighbors and other Waukegan residents had heard about federal immigration agents staying at hotels near the Great Lakes Naval base in the last few weeks.

“They’ve been preparing for quite some time,” Carrasco said of the immigration agents. “We knew early on that this would be a massive attack on the community.”

She and other Waukegan residents have been conducting clinics to teach immigrant neighbors about their rights and have been posting signs in local businesses advising residents to carry identification or immigration paperwork with them and to avoid large public gatherings where they could be detained. Carrasco said that the number of immigration officials she expects in the region made her cancel the parade.

“Sometimes in life you need to pick your fights,” Carrasco said. “We don’t want families being separated.”

Latin Heritage Fest, an event planned for Sept. 13 in Wauconda, a suburb northwest of Chicago, was also canceled. The Wauconda Latin Heritage Fest was going to feature Mexican food, music, Mexican folk dances, games and a pageant in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to a website for the event.

Organizers canceled the event because of concerns related to immigration in the area, according to a statement posted by the Wauconda Police Department on social media.

Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker suggested at a news conference that Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, strategically planned to conduct militarized arrests in Chicago because the city is known for its Mexican Independence Day celebrations.

Pritzker added that he is “deeply concerned” that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will target Mexican Independence Day events, set to start this weekend with the parade in Pilsen on Saturday, which was not canceled despite deportation fears.

Reyna Torres Mendivil, the consul general of Mexico in Chicago, said Thursday representatives from the consulate were scheduled to attend at least 17 celebrations in Illinois and Indiana this month, including El Grito.

On Thursday evening, the team was reviewing how many events had been canceled or postponed, Torres Mendivil said.

“We respect the decision they make. Some events may still take place in enclosed places, but there are others that take place in public spaces,” Torres Mendivil said. “We will attend all of the events that are still set to take place.”

The consulate will focus on commemorating Mexican Independence Day with a social media campaign that showcases the contribution of the immigrant community on social media, she said.

“Nothing of what may happen negates the pride of being Mexican and of celebrating our heritage, with our family, with dignity and respect,” Torres Mendivil added.

_____

©2025 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.