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Los Angeles.- Several cities in Los Angeles County and surrounding areas have canceled or postponed their U.S. Independence Day celebrations, which are held next Friday, July 4, in the country due to the immigration raids that entered their fourth week this Monday.
Among the most notable canceled events is the Summer Street Festival of Gloria Molina Grand Park, located in front of Los Angeles City Hall.
The celebration that was scheduled for the afternoon of July 4th was canceled due to the "recent events" affecting the city and part of the region, according to the organizers on social media.
A new date for the event that usually brings together thousands of families who come to enjoy the fireworks, on one of the most iconic dates of the year, was not scheduled.
Governments of eminently Latin cities like Cudahy and Bell Gardens, where 97% and 96% identify as Hispanic, respectively, have also canceled the Independence Day celebrations.
Municipal officials indicated that the cancellations were due to "a precautionary measure in light of concerns about the safety of residents due to federal immigration enforcement activities."
Likewise, the city of Huntington Park, known for being home to a majority of Mexican immigrants, also canceled its Independence Day celebration, scheduled for July 3.
Although this city did not disclose the reasons for the cancellation, the mayor of Huntington Park, Arturo Flores, has condemned the immigration raids carried out by masked and unidentified men.
The mayor has alerted the community about certain actions he called "masked kidnappings" and has ordered the police to intervene in suspicious operations, which led to the arrest of at least one suspect who was posing as agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service.
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"Men dressed in tactical gear, driving vehicles without identification, without showing credentials or affiliation to any agency, have infiltrated our neighborhoods, directly violating the values of our community, civil rights, and the basic principles of due process," he indicated in a statement. Massive raids by ICE began on June 6th and are expected to continue at least until next week. The concern over federal operations has spread to places like El Sereno, which this year canceled the annual Independence Day parade, and celebrations in Boyle Heights, one of Los Angeles' neighborhoods with the largest Hispanic presence, have also canceled celebrations due to immigration raids, according to a spokesperson for Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado cited by KTLA.
