Mexican Independence Day celebrations held in Little Village, including annual 26th Street Parade

CHICAGO — Mexican Independence Day celebrations took place Sunday in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, with the El Grito 5K Family Run/Walk and the 54th edition of the 26th Street Parade.

The celebrations continued as planned despite fears over possible immigration raids by ICE officials during the events. Some new protocols and protections were in place due to those concerns.

“Excited to celebrate community, more than ever,” Ken Alvarado, spokesperson the El Grito 5K, said. “Every year we’re always looking forward to coming and building this beautiful, beloved community.

“We really believe that this year, more than ever, it was important to keep that.”

Mexican Independence Day officially falls on Sept. 16, but celebrations in Chicago span more than a week and draw hundreds of thousands of participants to various events.

The 26th Street Parade in Little Village usually draws a crowd of about 400,000 people. However, attendance was down for last weekend’s Mexican Independence Day Parade in Pilsen with concerns over ICE raids looming over those festivities.

The theme for this year’s 26th Street Parade, which stepped off from 26th St. and Albany Avenue before making its way down 26th St. to Kostner Avenue, is “Pride & Power: Our Strength, Our Legacy.” The parade’s grand marshal was U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois’ 4th District.

The Little Village Chamber of Commerce decided to proceed with this year’s parade, even with the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” underway. A network of volunteers will be along the parade route Sunday on the lookout for ICE officials.

Tensions are especially high following two incidents Friday, the arrest of an immigrant from Venezuela as he was going into a Little Village barbershop and the fatal shooting of a Mexican immigrant during a traffic stop in northwest suburban Franklin Park. An ICE spokesperson said the man was resisting arrest and dragged an agent with his car.

El Grito Chicago, originally planned for Saturday and Sunday in Grant Park, was postponed to Monday and will be held at a church in Pilsen due to concerns over ICE raids.

El Grito, which translates to “the cry” or “the scream” in English, historically has marked the start of Mexico’s war for independence and usually draws more than 24,000 people for the Chicago celebration.

The El Grito 5K was held Sunday morning as scheduled, starting from 26th St. and Kostner Ave. It’s become a tradition the morning of Little Village’s Mexican Independence Day Parade.

“It’s important to stick together, especially during hard times to show we are here to support each other and help each other out in any way we can, even if it is just to do a 5K,” Viviana Mora said.

All race slots for the 5K sold out three weeks ago.

“The love we’ve gotten on social media, the phone calls of encouragement and other communities wanting to come celebrate has given us a lot of hope,” Alvarado said.