Heartbreaking Reason Why Chicago Has Cancelled the 2025 Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Chicago's vibrant Hispanic community has reluctantly cancelled its annual Cinco de Mayo Parade, organisers have announced.

The beloved cultural celebration, which typically burst with colours and attended by thousands, has fallen victim to the climate of fear spreading through immigrant neighbourhoods following US President Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.

'Our people are scared,' said Hector Escobar, President of the Casa Puebla & Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce, in a heart-wrenching interview with ABC 7. 'See, some of them, they don't even want to go to work, and some of them, they've taken a high risk. And definitely, it's not much to celebrate.'

The decision wasn't financially motivated, Escobar stressed. '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 safety.'

The decision to cancel the celebration was taken in the wake of raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cities like New York, Boston, Denver, and Chicago where over 32,809 persons were detained till March.

Chicago on Trump radar

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has intensified deportation efforts nationwide, with particularly aggressive tactics in so-called sanctuary cities like Chicago with locals, including US citizens being detained triggering scare among families who have become increasingly reluctant in community affairs.

The Cinco de Mayo festivities are a nationwide affair, originating from the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The holiday has been reshaped into a day of cultural and ethnic pride for Mexican Americans.

The cancellation of the event is not a direct act of protest; rather, it's a response to growing reports of wrongful arrests and transfers to El Salvador's mega prison.

The chilling effect has been immediate. In January, Chicago resident Alvarez Vasquez told The Chicago Tribune that people 'don't want to go out,' even to work, because they are afraid of 'being caught or deported.'

Illinois Governor Gets Threat

Tom Homan, former acting head of ICE, hasn't minced words about the administration's intentions toward Chicago.

'Chicago is in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks,' he declared last year, before issuing a direct threat to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker: 'If he doesn't want to help, get the hell out of the way. If you knowingly harbour or conceal an illegal alien—I will prosecute him.'

Pritzker's defiant response—'You come for my people, you come through me'—only provoked Homan further.

'Game on. We've got no problem going through him,' Homan shot back. 'I've got 20,000 men and women in ICE who are going to do their job with no apology. And if any governor wants to stand in the way, go ahead and do it. We'll see what happens. We're not gonna be intimidated.'

Undocumented Workers: Chicago's Silent Force

The economic impact of Trump's deportation blitz is already becoming apparent across multiple sectors.

An analysis by the American Immigration Council revealed that undocumented workers are vital to Chicago's economy, comprising 32.9% of maids and housekeeping cleaners, 30.5% of construction labourers, 30% of cooks and a staggering 42.1% of landscaping workers.

Factories, warehouses, and even major retailers like Walmart have reported drastically reduced attendance. Overall, undocumented migrants constitute significant portions of several industries, including manufacturing (13.5%), hospitality (11.8%) and general services (8.8%). Additionally, they make up 15.6% of the construction industry's workforce.

The sustained ICE raids in the city have threaten not only its vulnerable communities but also its economy.

Chicago's Economy on the 'Brink'

Apart from the impact on economy, locals attribute less attendance in Chicago's St. Agnes of Bohemia Catholic Church's Sunday mass due to ICE's raids.

'The fear is palpable,' said Michael Rodriguez, alderman of Chicago's 22nd ward. 'People are scared ICE agents will show up at their doorsteps, at their workplaces, places of worship and (even at schools).'

Chicago schools— including elementary schools— have had to refuse entry to federal agents. Parents are reportedly pulling their children out of school due to fears of arrests, triggered by the arrest of a father while dropping his children off at school.

Yesenia Lopez, the school board member representing the affected school, called the incident 'traumatic.'

'No child should be afraid of going to school because they fear seeing their parents ambushed during school drop offs,' she told Chalkbeat. 'Our schools should be places of safety and learning, not fear and separation.'

The cancellation of the Cinco de Mayo Parade underscores the profound impact of immigration policies on vulnerable communities and amidst surge in detentions and deportations, it is imperative to protect Chicago's cultural practices and marginalised communities by undertaking compassionate and inclusive immigration reforms in US.