As Labor Day rallies took place across the US, the Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson sharply denounced the Trump administration’s threat to deploy federal troops to the city as part of an immigration crackdown.

“No federal troops in the city of Chicago,” said Johnson on Monday to a gathered crowd at the “Workers over Billionaires” demonstration in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.

Johnson added: “We’re going to defend our democracy … we’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.”

Johnson later led the crowd in chants of “No troops in Chicago” and “Invest in Chicago”, the New York Times reported.

Protesters also met outside the Trump Tower in the city’s River North neighborhood, carrying anti-Trump posters and chanting “Lock him up”, according to footage posted to social media.

Monday’s rally in Chicago was one of hundreds of protests organized across the country as part of the national “Workers Over Billionaires” effort, a mass action calling for the protection of social safety nets such as Social Security; the funding of public schools, healthcare, and housing; amid other demands.

“Together we will demand a country that puts workers over billionaires,” said the May Day Strong group, a coalition to labor unions, in a statement about the event.

Demonstrations took place in cities large and small, including New York, Houston, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. Smaller cities such as Cleveland, Ohio and Greensboro, North Carolina, held rallies of their own as a part of the nationwide action.

The May Day Strong group, a coalition to labor unions, organized Monday’s efforts, along with AFL-CIO, the US’s largest federation of unions; the One Fair Wage, a non-profit advocating for fair wages for restaurant workers; and other labor groups.

“This is about organic, grassroots organizing, and we intentionally wanted it to be outside of Washington DC, because that’s where the impacts are being felt,” said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, about Monday’s efforts.

In New York, hundreds gathered across the street from Trump Tower in the city’s Midtown district, USA Today reported. Separate protests were held throughout New York state, including in Albany, the state’s capital.

US senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who represents New York, made an appearance at an Albany demonstration. “It’s Labor Day [and] we want to celebrate working men and people in this community,” said Gilibrand. New York state, the middle class was built on the labor movement and it’s time to recognize how important working people are to this community, to our country, to our great state,” she added.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 residents in DC joined a protest against Trump’s federal takeover of the city, reported WUSA9. Participants of the event, dubbed the “Freedom Run”, ran and walked through DC while chanting.

Christie Harlan, who took part in Monday’s run, shared her motivations for joining with WUSA9. “I feel bad for the families of the national guard members who’ve been deployed here to essentially be window dressing for this administration,” said Harlan.

The Trump administration’s termination of federal employees, many who worked out of the DC area, also prompted others to take part in the run. “Firing folks left and right, some of the damage that’s being done is going to be irreparable whenever things come back,” said participant Janice Ferebee to WUSA9.

Thousands also marched in the Los Angeles area early Monday, local affiliate KTLA reported. The rally was followed by a free picnic for community members, along with live entertainment.

Several protests were organized in California’s Bay Area. Residents in Redwood City, about an hour from San Francisco, even formed a 17-mile human chain to Santa Clara as apart of the day’s protest, NBC Bay Area reported.

Alongside the coordinated protests, workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston, one of Houston’s largest hotels, walked off the job as apart of a nine-day strike, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The walkout came as Hilton failed to reach a deal with members of the Unite Here Local 23 Texas chapter, which includes the more than 400 workers at the hotel.

Among several demands, workers are campaigning for a higher minimum wage of $23-per-hour, up from the current rate of $16.50. The strike, which is set to end 10 September, is the first in the union’s 25-year history, chapter president Franchesca Caraballo told the Chronicle.

As thousands took part in the rallies, Trump posted his own Labor Day message to the Truth Social platform: a photo of himself shaking hands with workers.

The image featured the caption: “Celebrating 250 years of THE AMERICAN WORKER. Happy Labor Day.”

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Gaza left Barcelona’s port on Monday for a second time after the vessels were forced to return a day earlier because of bad weather conditions.

The Global Sumud Flotilla had departed Sunday under much fanfare only to return a few hours later after a storm hit parts of Spain overnight. Facing winds of more than 56 kph (35 mph), some of the smaller boats taking part in the mission would have been at risk, organizers said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many boats departed on Monday. Organizers had previously said that there were around 20 vessels with participants from 44 countries. Dozens more boats were expected to join the flotilla from across the Mediterranean later this week, making it the largest attempt yet to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in northern Gaza. Food experts warned earlier this month that Gaza City was gripped by famine and that 500,000 people across the Gaza Strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters had gathered under a scorching sun on the docks of Barcelona’s old port Sunday to cheer the mission as it took off. The departure on Monday after sunset was much quieter.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Barcelona ex-Mayor Ada Colau were among those on board. The flotilla also received support from Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, known for his role in HBO series “Game of Thrones.”

The Israeli military is likely to try and stop the boats from getting near Gaza, as they have done in the past.

The nearly two-year war has killed more than 63,000 people, with nearly 340 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Hamas-led militants started the war with an assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which attackers killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. Forty-eight hostages are still inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

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Published September 1, 2025 3:23 PM PDT