Chicago community groups cancel Cinco de Mayo parade, citing fear of ICE raids

A Cinco de Mayo parade in Chicago has been canceled over fears of federal raids against illegal immigrants.

“Our community is very frightened because of the raids and the threat that [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] 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,” Hector Escobar, president of the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. The parade is usually held in the city’s Little Village neighborhood.

Concerns over possible deportation raids also led sponsors to drop out.

“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,” Mr. Escobar told WLS-TV.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the invading Second French Empire at the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla and is now a major celebration of Mexican-American culture.

The Trump administration has sued Chicago and Illinois for their sanctuary policies and non-cooperation with ICE regarding illegal immigrants, saying that their measures “have the purpose and effect of making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities in those jurisdictions,” Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate wrote in the lawsuit.

President Trump on Thursday threatened to withhold federal funding to sanctuary cities and states.

“No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!,” he wrote on Truth Social.

This year is not the first time the parade has been interrupted. In 2018 and 2019, it was canceled because of conflicts of interest and a lack of support from then-Alderman George Cardenas according to WMAQ-TV.