Long Beach Cancels Día de los Muertos Parade Amid Fears of Immigration Raids
The city of Long Beach has made the difficult decision to cancel its annual Día de los Muertos parade, citing concerns raised by community members about federal immigration operations. This beloved event, usually held in early November, draws large crowds to Long Beach and is a significant part of the city’s cultural celebrations.
According to Long Beach spokesperson Kevin Lee, the city is not aware of any federal enforcement activity targeting the parade. However, the decision to cancel was made “out of an abundance of caution” due to the parade being a large and very public outdoor event. Long Beach City Councilmember Mary Zendejas had requested the cancellation, which was made to address “genuine fears raised by community members, especially those who may face the possibility of sudden and indiscriminate federal enforcement actions.”
Community Impact and Economic Concerns
The cancellation of the parade has also led to the cancellation of the Arte y Ofrendas Festival, a separate ticketed event organized by an outside vendor and held at Rainbow Lagoon Park. Roberto Carlos Lemus, a marketer who brought food trucks and other vendors to the festival last year, expressed his sadness about the situation, stating that “everyone’s very sad about the situation” and that the city has done a great job putting on the event in the past.
Lemus also raised concerns about the economic fallout of the festival and parade cancellation, as well as the potential effects on Latino Restaurant Week in Long Beach, an event he co-founded that is set to begin on September 22. He mentioned that local businesses are afraid and that the situation affects everybody.
Immigration Raids and Supreme Court Ruling
Immigration raids have swept Southern California in recent months, with thousands of people detained by federal agents. A new Supreme Court ruling has cleared the way for U.S. immigration agents to stop and detain people in Southern California whom they suspect of being in the U.S. illegally, even if their suspicion is solely based on the type of job they hold, the language they speak, or their appearance.
This ruling has bolstered fears that people with brown skin and Spanish speakers will be targeted, especially going into national Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins on Monday. The ruling has been met with outrage by immigration rights attorneys and local leaders.
City Council Response and Support
At its meeting on Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council approved a motion to push unspent funds allocated for this year’s parade to next year’s budget, ensuring $100,000 will be available for the 2026 parade. The council also added $600,000 to the Long Beach Justice Fund, which provides legal representation to residents who face immigration actions, bringing the budget available for the fund to $1.85 million.
Some Southern California events have proceeded as scheduled despite similar fears. East L.A.’s 79th annual Mexican Independence Day parade held on Sunday seemed to draw smaller crowds than usual, but many attendees felt a sense of pride and duty to attend in spite of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
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