Chicago celebrates Mexican Independence Day in Little Village parade, despite smaller crowds amid immigration crackdown

Hundreds of locals and visitors gathered for Little Village’s 54th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade Sunday, in a roaring celebration of pride and power — the theme of this year’s event. It followed the cancellation of several other Mexican heritage festivities across Chicagoland amid a looming surge of immigration crackdown operations in the area under the Trump administration. But the crowds were considerably thinner. In previous years, sidewalks would be packed, making it impossible to walk along the parade route, attendees noted. On Sunday, most people congregated along the fences,...