Chicago community organizers cancel Mexican holiday parade, blame Trump as the reason

An annual parade in Chicago marking a Mexican holiday has been canceled this year, and organizers are pointing to President Donald Trump as the reason why.

The 2025 parade commemorating Cinco de Mayo — or May 5, the day in 1862 when Mexico defeated France in the Battle of Puebla — in Little Village on the Southwest Side of Chicago has been canceled after nearly half the sponsors dropped out because of "safety" concerns, WLS reported.

'We don't want to have ... people taken away from the festival, from the parade to custody.'

The Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce and Casa Puebla claimed enforcement of federal immigration law under the Trump administration has spooked sponsors and attendees alike.

"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," the groups said in a statement released Thursday.

"Our people are scared," added Hector Escobar, president of both groups. "See, some of them, they don't even want to go to work and some of them, they've taken a high risk."

The event typically involves music and other festivities celebrating Mexican culture, but this year, people do not want to participate in "community activities" on account of all the "bullying and persecution," the groups said.

"It's not much to celebrate," Escobar said.

"We don't want to have any confrontation or having people taken away from the festival, from the parade to custody."

While news reports are currently focused on the cancellation of the 2025 parade, the parade has had several disruptions in the last several years. In addition to cancellations due to COVID, organizers nixed the parade in 2018 and 2019 because of a "lack of support" from some local officials and groups, WMAQ-TV reported.

Then last year, the parade had to be rerouted to avoid an incident of alleged gang violence.

Escobar hopes to have the parade back on track next year, but he claims it will all depend on whether the Trump administration changes course on immigration enforcement.

"At this point, we don't know what is going to happen next year," he said.

His groups expressed hope that "things get situated and we can continue with the ... Celebration for many more years to come."

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