The ‘No Kings’ protest rally in Elgin Saturday drew a huge crowd to Kimball Street armed with signs bearing messages like, “Rejecting Kings since 1776,” and chanting in opposition to President Donald Trump’s actions and policies.

Saturday’s event was one of about 2,000 rallies held around the country attended by an estimated 5 million people and held the same day as Trump held a military parade in Washington, D.C., for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which coincided with the president’s 79th birthday.

Among those in the crowd were Bartlett residents Brittney Hurtado and her 10-year-old son Kevin, who collected money from people who couldn’t attend to purchase water, juice and snacks for protesters.

“Our main reason (for attending) is what’s being done to the undocumented community. It affects us directly, our family, our friends and the people who live around us,” she said.

Hurtado said it’s easy to feel helpless, which is why it’s important to protest and support those who came out to do so. It was also a good way to demonstrate to her son that people need to stand up for their rights and the rights of others, she said.“It’s sad he has to be fighting for his rights that directly affect him and his family,” she said.

Kevin Hurtado, whose hand-painted poster depicted Trump in clown makeup accompanied by a “Not A King, But A Clown” message, said he took a lot from the event but also acknowledged it was “too much to process.”

Brittney Hurtado said she was heartened by both the size and the diversity of those in attendance, noting that it drew more than just “brown people.”

“Today, there are people of all different races. I know we are all here for different reasons, but it’s nice not to be the only ones here this time,” she said.

Danise Habun, a former member of the Elgin Human Relations Commission, said she, too, was happy to see the big turnout.

“It’s just wonderful that here in Elgin people are standing up, peacefully protesting and exercising our rights,” she said. “I’m really proud of Elgin for coming out.”

Personally, she hopes the protests “are irritating our current president,” Habun said. The gatherings are not just to exercise the right to free speech but to spotlight the message that no one is above the law and an out-of-control leader must by restrained, she said.

“I’m so scared for my neighbors,” Habun said. “Where I live, the neighborhood is predominately Latinx. I see people are not outside as much anymore. It’s horrible.”

ICE was active in the Elgin area last week, looking for undocumented immigrants. In one instance, ICE agents were involved in a car accident at Spring and Seneca streets, which resulted in Elgin police being called. Police officials stressed in a news release that the department was not involved in helping the agency carry out detentions.

West Dundee resident Tab Curtis attended the protest wearing a TACO hat, the letters of which stand for “Trump Always Chickens Out” and referencing the president’s back-and-forth stance on implementing tariffs on other countries. But what provoked her to participate, she said, were the ICE raids being conducted in California and Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard and Marines.

“All of it is an outrage,” Curtis said. “I see our freedoms being stripped away by this administration. … (Protests help) us take back our country from these extremists.”

Curtis’ position was echoed by state Sten. Christina Castro, D-Elgin, who said people are angry and don’t want this kind of government.

“We did not elect a king. We did not elect a dictator,” she said.

Castro said the way immigrant detentions are being conducted is far removed from what Trump said he was going to do. “No one disagrees with the need to get criminals out of the country, but ICE is detaining regular, hard-working immigrants,” she said. “Personally, as a Latina, it hurts my soul.”

Saturday’s protest was was attended by a few Trump supporters, one of whom wore a MAGA (Make America Great Again) baseball cap, carried an American flag and shouted at protesters. When asked to comment on why he was there, he declined to comment.

Cheryl Wilkins carried American, Colombian, and Mexican-American flags as she lined up on Kimball Street. She also had a sign that read, in part, “Americans are people of principle, of honor.”

“(Trump) doesn’t honor anybody. He is not bound by the law,” Wilkins said. “I don’t think Trump cares about dissent, but we care. I think if we care enough, it will make a difference.”

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.