Adrian Martinez-De La Cruz

EAST CHICAGO — As spectators lined up the streets Sunday, many waving Mexican flags, glee and vibrant music filled the air during one of the oldest Mexican Independence Day parade in Indiana.

However, this year's Fiestas Patrias parade in East Chicago is being viewed as an act of defiance against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions nationwide, including recent raids across the state line in Chicago.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it was launching an immigration law enforcement crackdown, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," claiming it was targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, according to the Associated Press .

President Donald Trump, in recent weeks, had also repeatedly threatened to se

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