The sanctuary cities of Chicago and Philadelphia have canceled their annual Cinco de Mayo parades, citing fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting criminal illegal aliens.
The decision, announced by local organizers, is being slammed as a blatant attempt to harbor lawbreakers and undermine federal immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s renewed crackdown on illegal immigration.
In Chicago, the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce and Casa Puebla pulled the plug on the Little Village parade, a long-standing celebration of Mexican-American culture, claiming the community is “frightened” by ICE’s efforts to apprehend illegal aliens.
Hector Escobar, president of the chamber, said in a statement,”Our community is very frightened because of the raids and the threat that ICE has imposed on the families that work tirelessly to provide a better future for their kids.”
“Our community has faced bullying and prosecution and are not indulging in community activities, therefore we feel that there is nothing to celebrate.”
Escobar told ABC News, “See, some of them, they don’t even want to go to work and some of them, they’ve taken a high risk. And, definitely, it’s not much to celebrate.”
“We don’t want to have any confrontation or having people taken away from the festival, from the parade to custody… We could have done it with the 50% of the sponsorship, which is great, but it’s not, again, about money. It’s just more about the safety,” Escobar added.
Similarly, Philadelphia’s Carnaval de Puebla, a celebration of Mexican culture scheduled for April 27, was canceled due to concerns over potential ICE enforcement actions.
“People were calling in to say, ‘Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to make it,’” said event committee member Olga Renteria. “Especially when people are coming from California, Chicago, Mexico. Entire families are coming, so they don’t want to be separated.”
President Trump’s administration has made no secret of its intent to target sanctuary cities like Chicago and Illinois, where local officials openly defy ICE detainer requests.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, warned Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker that non-cooperation would not be tolerated. “If they want to harbor criminals, they’ll face consequences,” Homan declared at a recent GOP event, vowing to prosecute officials who obstruct federal efforts.
Since January, ICE has ramped up operations nationwide, arresting thousands of illegal aliens, including those with violent criminal records.
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