Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA)

The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) is a Chicago-based radical-left advocacy coalition that opposes policies of the second Trump administration. The group focuses on organizing protests against immigration enforcement and supports broader pro-Palestinian demonstrations, publishing demands to end all U.S. aid to Israel. The group has called the Trump administration’s agenda “racist” and “reactionary.” It has organized mass protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, National Guard deployments to Chicago, and other Trump administration initiatives.  1 2 3

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At-A-Glance

Type: Organization, Other
Ideological Alignment: Left of Center
Issue Areas: Immigration Policy, Foreign Policy
Website: www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org
type:

Advocacy Coalition

Location:

Chicago, IL

Contents

    The coalition operates through a steering committee of member organizations and has connections to socialist and revolutionary groups, including the Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO) and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), which have historically pushed for militancy in protests. The group is also closely tied to the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). 1 2 3

    Background

    Coalition Against the Trump Agenda was established in February 2025 following President Donald Trump‘s second inauguration, in anticipation of intensified immigration enforcement, potential federal troop deployments to cities like Chicago, and other policies viewed by left-wing and radical-left activists as oppressive. It functions as an informal coalition without a standalone tax-exempt status, relying on platforms like the Action Network for coordination, fundraising, and mobilization. The group began as a coalition of 35 organizations and had expanded to over 100 by late 2025. 4 5

    A key organization within the coalition is the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), a radical-left organization that manages the group’s communications and alert systems, which publicize federal law-enforcement activities. 6 7

    Activities

    The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda has led and participated in numerous protests and mobilizations since its formation, beginning with protests in Chicago on Inauguration Day in 2025. In May 2025, the coalition helped organize a May Day march in Chicago, focused on opposing attacks on workers and immigrants. 8

    Opposition to immigration enforcement has been central to the coalition’s work. In September 2025, CATA announced and led protests against threats of National Guard deployments to Chicago, including actions on September 6 and subsequent dates that drew thousands to oppose second Trump administration immigration-enforcement activities. It collaborated with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) on these demonstrations and later activities, such as protests targeting Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke (D) over perceived failures to address ICE-related incidents. 9 7 10

    Member Organizations

    The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda has drawn criticism for its affiliations with revolutionary socialist organizations. The Chicago chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), a steering committee member, has been described as advancing Marxist-Leninist perspectives within anti-ICE and anti-enforcement protests, framing police and federal agencies as tools of oppression. 3

    Other members of the coalition include the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Black Lives Matter Chicago, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the Arab American Action Network, the International League of People’s Struggles, Students for a Democratic Society (National and the University of Illinois-Chicago chapter), the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, AFSCME Local 2858, Indivisible Chicago South Side, and Teachers for Social Justice. 2

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    References

    1. “Coalition Against the Trump Agenda.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/.
    2. “Endorsers.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/endorsers.
    3. “An Anti-ICE Movement Increasingly Run by Revolutionaries.” City Journal. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.city-journal.org/article/anti-ice-protest-groups-immigration-enforcement.
    4. “CATA announces plans for emergency protests if Trump unleashes federal troops in Chicago.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. September 4, 2025. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/press-releases-statements/20250904-emergencyprotests.
    5. “Funding the Fight Ahead! A Fundraiser for the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda.” Action Network. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/funding-the-fight-ahead-a-fundraiser-for-the-coalition-against-the-trump-agenda.
    6. “Contact.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/contact-1.
    7. “CATA and ICIRR Announce Another Emergency Protest Against Trump’s Plan to Enforce “Operation Midway Blitz”.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. September 8, 2025. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/press-releases-statements/20250908-iceoutofchicagoprotest.
    8. “Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.” CAARPR. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.caarpr.org/.
    9. “TOMORROW, Sat, September 6 @ 5PM in Chicago: Coalition Against the Trump Agenda Announces Emergency Protests Against Trump’s Plan to Unleash Federal Troops in Chicago.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. September 5, 2025. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/press-releases-statements/20250905-emergencyprotestsagainsttrumptroops.
    10. “CATA, ICIRR to protest ICE raids, demand Cook County State’s Attorney Burke stand up to ICE.” Coalition Against the Trump Agenda. September 24, 2025. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.coalitionagainsttrumpagenda.org/press-releases-statements/20250924-saoburkestanduptoice.