Protesters carrying Trump and American flags lined the sidewalk outside Planet Fitness near the Holiday Inn on South Cicero Avenue in Chicago on Sunday, April 27. They rallied against what they said was the use of taxpayer money to house undocumented immigrants. (Photo by Nuha Abdessalam)

About 20 protesters rallied Sunday, April 27, outside Planet Fitness near the Holiday Inn at 7353 S. Cicero Ave., accusing the hotel and Illinois officials of housing undocumented immigrants with taxpayer dollars.

The protest, promoted on Facebook by the group “Trump Illinois MAGA Official,” called on “patriots” to oppose the use of public funds for migrant accommodations. The rally ran from noon to 2 p.m.

Protesters waved large American and Trump flags as music blared from speakers. Men and women of varying ages lined the sidewalk, some carrying homemade signs. The mood was angry and defiant, with occasional honks of support from passing drivers.

Demonstrators held signs critical of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and chanted slogans calling for deportations. One speaker shouted that it was “time to give the illegals a one-way ride home.”

The Holiday Inn near South Cicero Avenue in Chicago was the focus of a protest Sunday, with demonstrators opposing alleged migrant housing at the hotel. (Photo by Nuha Abdessalam)

Few protesters agreed to speak with reporters. Some protesters accused the media of being “fake news,” citing what they viewed as biased coverage of a previous immigration-related protest at a Tesla dealership in Orland Park. One woman said, “My taxes shouldn’t be housing and hiding undocumented people in hotel rooms.” When asked how she knew migrants were being housed at the hotel, she replied, “You can’t book any rooms!”

Attempts to reach Holiday Inn management for comment were unsuccessful. A hotel security guard said access to the property was restricted because it is private property.

A flyer promoting the protest on Facebook urged people to “come one, come all patriots” to call out the alleged use of taxpayer money to house “illegal immigrants” at the hotel, which is 10 blocks south of Midway Airport.

The protest comes amid rising tensions over migrant housing in Illinois. In recent months, state and local governments have used hotels and other facilities to temporarily shelter newly arrived migrants, many of whom were bused to Chicago from southern border states as part of state relocation programs, according to public reports from the City of Chicago and the Texas Governor’s Office.

Police reported no arrests during the demonstration.