Fear of immigration raids force the cancellation of several July festivities in Los Angeles
Several communities in Los Angeles County have called off or postponed their previously scheduled Independence Day and July events, citing resident safety amid ongoing immigration enforcement raids.
The El Sereno Bicentennial Committee was one of the first organizations to announce the cancellation of its 66th Independence Day Parade in a June 20 statement on Facebook.
"We stand with our community. The safety of our participants, spectators and volunteers is always at the forefront," according to the post.
The celebration is typically composed of numerous local organizations, schools and entertainment groups along with more than 1,2000 people marching in the parade, according to the committee.
However, many groups withdrew their entries from this year's parade, which ultimately led to the committee's decision, according to the post.
Read more: L.A. street life 'paralyzed' as ICE raids keep shoppers away, close businesses
Ongoing raids throughout Los Angeles in Home Depot parking lots, popular food vendor locations and car washes have stoked fear in residents.
'You can see the impact of these random raids everywhere in our city — families are scared to go eat at restaurants, kids are scared their parents aren't going to return from the store — the fear is there because they've seen videos of people being shoved into unmarked vans by masked men refusing to identify themselves," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told The Times.
Other previously scheduled events that have been postponed or canceled due to immigration enforcement activities include:
Fourth of July festivities in Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and Northeast Los Angeles sponsored by Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado's office have been postponed, a decision made after the council member heard from neighborhood advocates and community leaders across her district. A new date for the event is not available at this time.
The city of Cudahy has postponed its Independence Day Celebration that was set for Thursday, July 3. The city has yet to offer a new date for the event.
The city of Bell Gardens announced on Instagram the cancellation of two movie events, scheduled for June 26 and July 10, that are part of the 2025 Summer Nights series and takes place in Bell Gardens Veterans Park.
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Housing association backs national crackdown on anti-social behaviour
A housing association is backing a national crackdown on anti-social behaviour. Castles & Coasts Housing Association (CCHA) will mark Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week 2025, from June 30 to July 6. This will be done by bringing in agencies, including the police, during estate walkabouts in 12 towns and villages across Cumbria and the North East. CCHA staff will hand out leaflets to residents informing them of how to report ASB. The walkabouts will take place on their properties in Penrith, Harriston, Carlisle, Cockermouth, Kendal, Washington, Cramlington, Longframlington, Workington, Temple Sowerby, Hetton Le Hole and Maryport. Anna Bates, head of housing at CCHA, said: 'Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and in their local community. ASB can really blight neighbourhoods, so we're committed to working with our partners, residents and our local communities to tackle it. "ASB Awareness Week is a chance to raise awareness, support victims, and build stronger partnerships to prevent anti-social behaviour before it escalates." For more details on the events, you can visit
CBS News
17 minutes ago
- CBS News
Federal agents arrest two people tied to human smuggling operation in L.A.
Two people tied to human smuggling operation in LA arrested by federal agents Two people tied to human smuggling operation in LA arrested by federal agents Two people tied to human smuggling operation in LA arrested by federal agents Federal agents arrested two people at a San Fernando Valley home described as a human smuggling hub tied to national security threats, according to Customs and Border Protection. "The location has been repeatedly used to harbor illegal entrants linked to terrorism," CBP wrote in a post to X. The arrests happened on Friday afternoon while CBP's Special Response Team served a search warrant at the house located on Napa Street in North Hills. Federal agents arrested seven Iranian nationals at the same address earlier this week, some of whom were on the FBI Terror Watchlist and "associates of an Iranian human trafficking network," according to CBP. "CBP is taking aggressive action to shut down smuggling networks and remove national security threats before they can do harm," CBP wrote in a post to X. Residents in the North Hills neighborhood said someone new had moved into the home about six months ago. "There was a bunch of young people and they would hang out at night, pacing on the phone, sitting on the curb," neighbor Claudio Bonoli said. "Talking to my neighbors, they say they were kind of intimidated by them." The idea that people on a terror watchlist were living on their street rattled Bonoli and some of his neighbors. "It's only two houses from my house," he said. "This has been a really great, quiet neighborhood for a long time. So, it's totally surprising."
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
Video Shows woman clinging to tree as immigration agents try to detain her
A bystander captured on video the moment immigration agents in street clothes chased a woman across the street trying to detain her outside of a Home Depot where she had been selling food in West Los Angeles just moments prior.
