As first-time Chicago Marathon runner Natalia Diaz passed through the Pilsen neighborhood that once was home to several of her Mexican American family members, she stopped to greet those who had returned to support her in the race. They briefly took pictures and reflected on the increase in federal immigration enforcement efforts in the city.
Residents of the city and nation are “living in a crazy time we wouldn’t have thought of in 2025,” said Consuelo Arguilles, Diaz’s aunt who was on 18th Street to support her niece.
Arguilles, said she was proud of Diaz, a freshman at Carthage College, explaining that it was important to represent their Mexican heritage.
Overall support for runners in the 47th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon could be seen and heard throughout the race route, including as the runners headed east on 18th Street through Pilsen. Viewers yelled, celebrated and cheered on the sidewalks, marking a stark contrast to the more subdued than usual Mexican Independence Day Parade that rolled through the neighborhood in September.
Local immigration advocates said the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago, as part of President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement, affected how some runners trained for the marathon and whether their families came out to support their efforts.
Krystal, who requested to be identified by only her first name for safety reasons, is a member of Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo, a coalition that advocates for the protection of immigrant rights. She said PUÑO talked to members of local run clubs ahead of the race about how to stay safe during the marathon as immigration enforcement has ramped up.
“People kind of started reaching out to me or I started reaching out also to run clubs to be like ‘I think this is really important, this is impacting, not only the communities you run in, but your actual runners as well,’” Krystal said.
“ICE is terrorizing our city and sucking the joy out of everything. They shouldn’t be here,” she said. “They are causing a lot of fear and a lot of harm and that, of course, is impacting so many runners.”
Some of the tips she said she offered runners was to utilize the buddy system and memorize emergency contact information as well as the number for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The coalition is a nonprofit advocacy organization.
Run clubs around Chicago also posted tips ahead of the race about how to stay safe amid the increased ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency presence, and what to do in if they are stopped by federal agents.
Aime Cabrera, 46, a member of the Las Doñas Run Club, cheered runners from sidewalks in Pilsen with other members of the run club. She said the club expected to have more participants in the marathon, but some dropped out because of the increase in ICE agents. The club was originally started as a walking club for moms.
Edgar Rivera, the co-founder of Raza Run Club, said one of his club’s goals is for people to be comfortable.
“We want people to feel safe when they run, and run with the community,” Rivera said. “And whether they’re not training for a race, and they’re just looking for people to run with, and find that community, we’re here for them.”