DOWNTOWN — What is usually a night of raucous Mexican Independence Day celebrations remained unusually calm Saturday amid the federal government’s coordinated immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago.
Downtown was flush with police Saturday, the day that neighbors celebrate the Mexican holiday with large caravans that have taken over the central business district for years despite law enforcement efforts to curb the events.
But this year, there wasn’t a large enough turnout of Mexican Independence Day celebrants to even warrant the Downtown street closures that the city warned could happen.
Instead, many stayed away to avoid possible encounters with U.S. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who launched Operation Midway Blitz last week in an effort the government said was to targ