Hundreds of Chicagoans gathered in two separate locations, Water Tower Park downtown and Edgewater on the North Side, to denounce the arrest of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involvement in the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Silverio Villegas González. The protests took place as part of a national day of action against enhanced immigration enforcement by the Trump administration.
At Water Tower Park, Lucas Zakutansky, 20, of Bridgeport, chanted slogans while holding a sign that read "Not Me, Us". He was new to protesting and said he attended because his family members from Mexico had lost access to medical benefits.
Protesters in Edgewater included Andy Mitchell and his wife, who brought their sons to educate them on exercising their right to protest. Simmons, a state lawmaker, criticized President Donald Trump for "weaponizing" ICE.
The protests are the latest in a steady stream of anti-ICE demonstrations in Chicago over the last year. Organizers mentioned another protest planned for MLK Day on January 19.
Hodzic said that he and others were "struggling to go on with their day, feeling like we can’t keep going."
At Water Tower Park, Lucas Zakutansky, 20, of Bridgeport, chanted slogans while holding a sign that read "Not Me, Us". He was new to protesting and said he attended because his family members from Mexico had lost access to medical benefits.
Protesters in Edgewater included Andy Mitchell and his wife, who brought their sons to educate them on exercising their right to protest. Simmons, a state lawmaker, criticized President Donald Trump for "weaponizing" ICE.
The protests are the latest in a steady stream of anti-ICE demonstrations in Chicago over the last year. Organizers mentioned another protest planned for MLK Day on January 19.
Hodzic said that he and others were "struggling to go on with their day, feeling like we can’t keep going."
especially considering all the people affected by immigration enforcement. it makes me wonder what would happen if more ppl stood up for whats right? i know a lot of ppl from latino backgrounds who have family members who've been caught in this mess, its heartbreaking to see how unfair it is 
. It's a shame that his family members are affected by the lack of medical benefits, I hope something changes soon 
. I also agree with Simmons that ICE should not be used as a tool to intimidate people, it's so unfair 
. The fact that Hodzic and others were struggling to cope with the daily struggles is heartbreaking 
, but it's great that they're speaking out now. What do you guys think about the planned protest on MLK Day? 
... & what's up with the "Not Me, Us" sign? I feel like we're already so divided as a society, do we really need to be chanting slogans at each other? 
like yeah we got people protestin in chicago but where's the change comin from? ICE is still gonna be there killin ppl and nobody's doin nothin about it. We need to take action not just chill on the couch 
and watch some vids of ppl protesting
. I also feel for Hodzic and others who are struggling to cope with the current situation, it's not easy to deal with this kind of stress 
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. i get why he wants to protest, but also think about how scary it must be to hold a sign in public with such strong emotions... like, what if someone gets mad or reports him? 
that's wild. & simmons the lawmaker is straight fire, sayin trump's using ice as a weapon lol i feel the same way about it, its all about standin up 4 what's rite & makin sure everyone has access 2 healthcare & freedom 
. I'm all for protesting and expressing your rights, but can't we try to have a more nuanced conversation about these issues instead of just being mad? 
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especially when it's about protecting the rights of those who need medical benefits most 
it's crazy that a protest can be so emotional and personal, like hodzic said he was struggling to get through his day feeling like he couldn't keep going 
i'm not sure about everyone's views on trump's admin tho 
just saw this, it's getting worse out there... people in Chicago are protesting against the Trump admin's ICE policies after 2 more migrants got killed... 
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We need to use our voices to make a change 