Robyn Rea of Island Lake brought he two children—Isaac Rea, 5, and Eli Rea, 10 months—to a Not My President rally to mark President’s Day with the youngsters because she believes it is vital for their future.
Daughter of German immigrants married to the son of Mexican immigrants, Rea said she has fears her children may reach maturity in a country where the color of their skin could relegate them to second-class citizenship.
“I’m raising two little brown boys,” Rea said. “I am here for their future. If things keep going the way they are, they may not have a future. They shouldn’t be taking people off the street because they look different or speak a different language.”
Rea was among more than 300 people attending a Not My President Rally on Monday in Round Lake Beach, holding signs and chanting to express their displeasure with the administration of President Donald Trump.
Randy Harnicker, the executive chair of Indivisible Western Lake County and one of the organizers of the rally, said the event was prompted by the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement activities in Minnesota and the resulting violence by federal agents.
Harnicker said the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, officers of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Minnesota, and the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in particular spurred his group to organize.
“We’re showing up to show solidarity with the people in Minnesota and the shootings there,” Harnicker said. “We are fighting against the Trump agenda and the MAGA movement. We want ICE out of Lake County.”
People lined a block of Rollins Road and half a block of Illinois Route 83 in Round Lake Beach with signs supporting immigrants and criticizing Trump, such as “End Tyranny, Embrace Peace,” “Love Thy Neighbor,” “Defend Our Democracy,” and “Stronger Together.” They chanted as well.
“A people united will not be divided,” the crowd changed numerous times. “Hey, hey. ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” they added in another chant.
Leslie Nelson of Round Lake held a sign that read, “We the people are all immigrants, and we are pissed.” Recognizing that Native Americans are not immigrants, she said the group was also treated poorly in history. She compared that and 1930s Germany to today’s America with pictures.
“The American people are what it’s about, whether they are citizens or not,” Nelson said. “We have to help everyone.”
Tony Baltazar of Grayslake wore a shirt with a more subtle message. It read Kaepernick on the back. He said it referred to onetime San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was banned from professional football after six seasons for his protest of racial discrimination.
“He kneeled when they played the national anthem,” Baltazar, who came to protest Trump administration actions, said. “He lost his job for protesting racism. Things (with Trump) are getting like Nazi Germany.”
At least four women were wearing red dresses with white hats, dressed like handmaids from the book and television show “The Handmaid’s Tale.” One of them ,Ivy, withheld her last name out of fear. She said it adds to her message.
“It gives me a louder voice,” Ivy said. “Trump is using this as their playbook. They are against anyone but white men.”
Morgan Coghill of Mundelein came with a piñata of Donald Trump. He let people hit it though there was no candy inside to fall to the ground. He is running against U.S. Rep. Brad Scheidner, D-Highland Park, in the March 17 Democratic primary.
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“We need to abolish ICE,” Coghill said. “ICE is destroying our country. They’re killing people.”
Schneider was also at the rally. As he walked along Rollins Road, he was continually stopped by people asking him questions or offering their thoughts. With the U.S. House of Representatives not currently in session, he is working in the district.
With his criticism going beyond ICE and CBP, Schneider said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are all part of the situation hurting American democracy.
“Trump is failing because of what we’re seeing in our cities,” Schneider said. “With what DHS, ICE, the CBP, and the DOJ are doing, they are undermining the Constitution and the rule of law.”
Though not at the rally, Keith Brin, the chair of the Lake County Central Committee, and Mark Shaw, the Republican State Central Committeeman for the 10th Congressional District, took a different view of the protesters’ message.
Brin said in a text on Monday that while people are protesting the actions of the Trump administration, the GOP will be focusing on electing what he calls “quality candidates” to combat the “dumpster fire Democrats have done their best to create.”
“The Not My President rally is silly,” Brin said. “You may not agree with the president’s policies, but if you’re a citizen, then he is, in fact, your president. Rallying to deny this is stupid. This is all another iteration of the No Kings rally, which accomplished nothing.”
Shaw said in an email that Trump has achieved a lot in his first year-plus in office, doing much of what he promised. In some places, local governments cooperated with ICE and CBP, letting them take criminals in American jails into custody for deportation. When there is no cooperation, other remedies are necessary. It contributes to detention of illegal immigrants with no criminal record.
“The federal government is required to use a larger number of enforcement officers and must canvass larger areas in the local communities,” Shaw said, referring to what was done in Minnesota and the Chicago area last fall. “Unwanted confrontations are more likely to occur than when these individuals are detained by local authorities.”