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An appearance by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the 26th annual Christmas tree ship ceremony at Navy Pier led one of two downtown protests on Saturday — one targeting immigrant raids and the other the brewing military conflict in Venezuela.

The Navy Pier Christmas ceremony is a tradition in which crew members offload approximately 1,200 trees from the USCGC Mackinaw onto trucks to donate to families in need.

During a brief speech Saturday morning, Noem thanked everyone involved in organizing the event and wanted those in attendance to “recognize that we’re bringing them news of happiness and peace.”

Dozens of protesters gathered more than an hour before Noem spoke, but were moved back to Polk Bros. Park by Chic

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