Updated at 3:00 p.m. ET to include Trump's comments on NBC's decision 
 
 As Donald Trump ramps up his 2016 presidential campaign, the outspoken real estate mogul is facing more and more criticism for recent comments about immigration, a protest during an appearance at the City Club of Chicago earlier today, and the announcement that NBC has cut business ties with him. 
 
 In a statement by NBC, the network said, "Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump." 
 
 Trump had previously announced he wouldn't participate in the upcoming season of The Apprentice so that he could focus on his 2016 campaign. But NBC revealed that it would no longer broadcast the beauty pageants it produces along with the mogul, Miss USA and Miss Universe. 
 
 NBC announces it's ending its business relationship with @realDonaldTrump . pic.twitter.com/rVHlnHSBfK — Meredith Blake (@MeredithBlake) June 29, 2015 
 
 After learning of NBC's decision, Trump said, with his trademark bluster, "I've had a great relationship with [NBC]... with my statements on immigration, which happen to be correct, they're taking a different stance and that's okay." 
 
 Trump added that he may consider a lawsuit against both Univision and NBC. 
 
 Trump on NBC ending business relationship: I'll be suing Univision...maybe I'll be suing NBC too. — Athena Jones (@AthenaCNN) June 29, 2015 
 
 In an extended statement given to Mashable by Trump's campaign, his comments on NBC cut even deeper. 
 
 As of today, Donald J. Trump is no longer affiliated with NBC. Mr. Trump stands by his statements on illegal immigration, which are accurate. NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct—- that is why our country is in serious trouble. Mr. Trump says, “We must have strong borders and not let illegal immigrants enter the United States. As has been stated continuously in the press, people are pouring across our borders unabated. Public reports routinely state great amounts of crime are being committed by illegal immigrants. This must be stopped and it must be stopped now. Long ago I told NBC that I would not being doing The Apprentice because I am running for President in order to Make our Country Great Again.” Mr. Trump continued, “If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court. Furthermore, they will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be.” Donald J. Trump 
 
 Before NBC's announcement, a petition asking NBC to fire Donald Trump had collected more than 200,000 signatures. 
 
 Posted on Change.org, the petition calls out NBC for choosing business over "ethics, principles and values" in the wake of Trump's recent statements when declaring his candidacy for president. In his remarks, the GOP hopeful described immigrants from Mexico as "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people." 
 
 Trump also faced heat from a small group of protesters who picketed his appearance at the City Club of Chicago today. Protesters held up a piñata of Trump and chanted in opposition to his comments. 
 
 There's a @realDonaldTrump piñata at protest at Chicago event. Signs include "NBC dump Trump" & "Stop the hate" pic.twitter.com/kTUQPTpQUX — Athena Jones (@AthenaCNN) June 29, 2015 
 
 Protesters gather across the street from a restaurant in Chicago Donald Trump spoke to the City Club of Chicago. 
 
 Chicago Protesters @realdonaldtrump event Signs 'I am Mexican & I don't love you!' 'Hate speech is not presidential' pic.twitter.com/8kUdLFFSyD — Athena Jones (@AthenaCNN) June 29, 2015 
 
 Despite the criticism over his comments, Trump's appearance at the City Club was also a hot ticket: all available tickets sold out within 15 minutes, and a waitlist for the 350-person capacity venue extended to several thousand people. 
 
 .@realDonaldTrump I love Mexico, but every time I talk about it, they call me a racist http://t.co/3N2rXMbuai pic.twitter.com/8KiLUhDfQV — Craig Newman (@craignewman) June 29, 2015 
 
 Watch full video of Trump's appearance, below. 
 
 Over the weekend, Trump also continued his beef with Univision, the Spanish-language network that announced it would no longer carry Trump's Miss Universe pageant due to his comments. The battle has been particularly nasty on both sides — yet Trump announced Sunday that the network had apologized, even after Trump banned the network's employees from using his Miami golf course. 
 
 Univision apologized to me but I will not accept their apology. I will be suing them for a lot of money. Miss U.S.A. contestants are hurt! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2015 
 
 For his part, Trump is, as usual, taking it all in stride. 
 
 Trump in presser says he won't apologize re Mexico "because everything I said is 100% correct." pic.twitter.com/jn2VMzzlqS — Athena Jones (@AthenaCNN) June 29, 2015 
 
 — Additional reporting by the Associated Press 

 NBCUniversal cuts ties with Trump 
 
 Amid mounting public pressure, NBCUniversal announced Monday that it will cut business ties with Donald Trump due to "recent derogatory statements" the Republican presidential hopeful made regarding Mexican immigrants. 
 
 "At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values," the network's statement reads. "Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump." 
 
 
 
 "To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC," the statement continues. "In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in 'The Apprentice' on NBC. 
 
 NBC's announcement comes four days after Univision announced it would end its business relationship with the Miss Universe Organization based on what it described as Trump's "insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants." Trump subsequently promised to sue the Spanish-language broadcaster for breach of contract and defamation, and banned Univision employees from his Miami Doral golf resort. 
 
 By Monday morning, more than 200,000 people had signed a Change.org petition calling on NBCUniversal to cut its ties with Trump and cancel the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which are co-owned by Trump and NBC, as well as "The Apprentice," which Trump hosts. The petition accused NBC of "supporting a hateful and narcissistic individual without any kind of values" and "supporting a growing trend of bigotry and division in this country." 
 
 NBC will continue to air "The Apprentice," which is licensed through the United Artists Media Group. Trump had previously announced that he would give up his position as host of that program in order to pursue the Republican presidential nomination. 
 
 At his campaign launch earlier this month, Trump had said he would build a wall to stop Mexico from dumping "rapists" and criminals on U.S. soil. He later accused the media of trying "to distort my comments regarding Mexico and its great people." 
 
 In an interview with the On Media blog last week, Trump accused Univision of defaulting on an "iron-clad" five-year, $13.5 million contract that it had no right to terminate. "They have no termination rights whatsoever," Trump said. "They've defaulted on their contract because of pressure put on them by Mexico." 
 
 UPDATE (3:20 p.m.): Trump's office sends the following statement: 
 
 As of today, Donald J. Trump is no longer affiliated with NBC. Mr. Trump stands by his statements on illegal immigration, which are accurate. NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct--- that is why our country is in serious trouble. 
 
 Mr. Trump says, “We must have strong borders and not let illegal immigrants enter the United States. As has been stated continuously in the press, people are pouring across our borders unabated. Public reports routinely state great amounts of crime are being committed by illegal immigrants. This must be stopped and it must be stopped now. Long ago I told NBC that I would not being doing The Apprentice because I am running for President in order to Make our Country Great Again.” 
 
 Mr. Trump continued, “If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court. Furthermore, they will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be.”
– NBC broke up with Donald Trump today, and the money mogul is not taking it lightly. He fired back right away by calling NBC "weak" and threatening a lawsuit, Mashable reports. This after the network nixed its relationship with Trump and canceled the Miss USA pageant slated for July 12 over his remarks about Mexican immigrants. Anyway, back to The Donald: "I've had a great relationship with [NBC] ... with my statements on immigration, which happen to be correct, they're taking a different stance and that's okay," he tells reporters, Mediaite reports. "Trump on NBC ending business relationship: I'll be suing Univision...maybe I'll be suing NBC too," per a tweet from CNN reporter reporter Athena Jones. "NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct— that is why our country is in serious trouble," reads a statement released by Trump, per Politico. "If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court," he says in the statement. "Furthermore, they will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be," he adds.