Cities Are Canceling Fourth Of July Events Over Immigration Raid Fears
Canceled or postponed events have been reported in cities including Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Cudahy, Bell Gardens and Whittier after local officials said residents raised concerns.
According to The New York Times, about 2,000 immigrants in the Los Angeles area have been arrested since the beginning of June, when a series of immigration raids sparked protests and drew a heavy law enforcement response and military deployment. Since then, arrests have been reported at taco trucks, worksites and even immigration court — prompting some Latino residents to avoid going out in public, whether they have legal status or not.
Huntington Park, California, has put a 30-day pause on summer events because of 'growing disruptions' by ICE activity, according to a reported city statement.
'Reports of unmarked vehicles and unidentified federal agents have created widespread anxiety, particularly among immigrant and mixed-status families,' the statement reads. 'Many residents have expressed fear and uncertainty, leading them to remain indoors, refrain from work, and withdraw from daily public life. Our priority is and will continue to be the safety and peace of mind of our community.'
The City of Cudahy announced on social media that its Independence Day Celebration will be postponed 'due to recent events and concerns regarding the safety of our residents.' The announcement comes after the city's vice mayor posted a now-deleted TikTok calling on gang members to defend their territory amid ICE raids. She said later that the FBI visited her home.
The city of Bell Gardens announced on Instagram that 'out of an abundance of caution regarding concerns for resident safety over federal immigration enforcement activities,' the city was canceling events between last week and July 10.
Fourth of July events in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and northeast Los Angeles have been postponed to August due to immigration raids, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado's office announced.
Jurado, who represents District 14, has spoken out against the ICE raids on social media.
Gloria Molina Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles announced on its website that because of 'recent events affecting a portion of Downtown L.A. and the ongoing circumstances impacting the region,' its summer block party would be postponed until later in the summer.
The mayor of the city of Whittier, a city in Los Angeles County, said in a news release that the city is canceling its Fourth of July Freedom Walk after residents expressed their concerns.
'While celebrating our nation's founding is very important to me and to Whittier residents, my colleagues and I also want to be sensitive to the recent feedback we've received from some community members asking that we pause this year's Freedom Walk event,' Mayor Joe Vinatieri said in a news release.
It's unclear what the feedback was. Reps from the city did not respond to a request for comment.
The ICE raids have left fear and anxiety in many Latinos living in the U.S. Immigrants — documented and undocumented — have said they don't leave their homes because they are afraid of getting swept up in a raid.
Hector Mata, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, told The New York Times that he avoids taking the bus.
'I'm brown and that's all they need,' Mata said about federal agents.
Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores has been outspoken against the ICE raids, calling them a 'campaign of domestic terror.'
'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said, according to the Guardian. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.'
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