Hundreds of Chicago protesters march to 'Stop the Trump agenda'
CHICAGO - President Donald Trump’s first week in office has energized some Americans, while others have grown furious over swift policy changes.
Hundreds of protesters marched in opposition to President Donald Trump's agenda in downtown Chicago on Saturday.
What we know:
The People's March for Justice led the protest, which began at noon and started at Water Tower Park.
Made up of more than 60 organizations, the People’s March for Justice called for immediate aid to Gaza, independence for Palestine, and an end to deportations for immigrants and refugees.
The march was originally scheduled for Trump's inauguration on Monday but was pushed back due to dangerously cold weather.
Trump's First Week:
During his first week in office, Trump granted clemency to about 1,500 rioters convicted in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
More than 500 people involved in the incident were sentenced, and more than 300 were serving prison sentences.
Trump also withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization, which will suspend foreign aid for three months. In addition, a national emergency on immigration was declared, leaving many communities fearful of raids.
The backstory:
Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have repeated their commitment to sanctuary status for Illinois and Chicago after the Department of Justice threatened to investigate and prosecute elected officials who stand in the way of the president's immigration policies.
They said they will fight to protect law-abiding working families, and law enforcement will not help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with arrests.
Right after Trump took office on Monday, he signed hundreds of executive orders. Chicago was targeted as a starting place for mass deportations.
Pritzker and Johnson said their goals have not changed.
"Any of the measures that the president is looking to execute against working people in the City of Chicago, we will defend our city," Johnson said Thursday. "It's just that simple. We will defend their rights to have a high quality public education. He is working to dismantle the Department of Education."
ICE has reported they've executed more than 500 arrests, none reported in Chicago, though some have been reported in the suburbs.
The Source: The information in this story came from the People's March for Justice and our previous reporting.