As Hispanic Heritage Month approaches, some Latino community events in the Inland Empire are being canceled because of fears about immigration enforcement.
The Perris-based TODEC Legal Center, which provides immigration and labor services to migrant farmworkers across the Inland region and Coachella Valley, canceled its Festival Monarca amid continuing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
“We do this with heavy hearts but with absolute clarity: our first responsibility is to protect our community,” organizers said in a social media post announcing the cancellation. “With heightened immigration enforcement on the ground and credible fears of ICE raids in our area, we cannot in good conscience invite our families into a space where they could be at risk.”
The annual cultural festival was set for Sunday, Sept. 28, in downtown Perris — where this summer, Mayor Michael Vargas urged residents in the largely Latino city to stay home because of ICE. TODEC’s “Festival Monarca y Feria Educativa” — the Monarch Festival and Educational Fair — which typically includes a rodeo, cultural arts and education fair, had only been scrapped once – during the COVID pandemic – in its 40-year history.
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Raul Maldonado and the Rev. Jose Orozco bless a horse during the TODEC Legal Center’s 34th “Festival Monarca and Feria Educativa” in Perris on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (File photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Raul Maldonado and the Rev. Jose Orozco bless a horse during the TODEC Legal Center’s 34th “Festival Monarca and Feria Educativa” in Perris on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (File photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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In some Inland cities, leaders and event organizers are considering Latino residents’ fear when planning events. For example, last month the Moreno Valley City Council pondered scrapping city-sponsored events popular with Latinos such as its Mexican Independence Day celebration but decided to move forward. In Riverside, organizers of a music festival similarly kept the event on.
The ICE arrests are a part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts targeting immigrant communities, especially in “sanctuary” states such as California. The agency has detained more than 3,700 immigrants statewide, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which also reported that a majority — 70.8% — have no criminal convictions.
TODEC Executive Director Luz Gallegos said Friday, Sept. 12, that these are “really scary times for immigrants.”
“We are seeing a complete disregard for due process, violent detainments, racial profiling and targeted harassment against our community because of the language they speak or where they work,” Gallegos said. “We cannot and will not in good conscience ask our members to gather if it puts them at risk. This is truly sad because this event is a 41-year tradition celebrating immigrant contributions, Latino culture and unity.”
ICE spokesperson Luis Alani said in a Friday email that “Hispanic heritage and cultural festivities are valued community traditions, and we respect their importance. To be clear, those who are not here illegally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear. That being said, our focus remains on public safety threats and criminal aliens, not cultural gatherings.”
A different ICE spokesperson said in a Friday email that ICE does not comment on operations, but its activities “are not conducted based on racial or ethnic profiling.”
Other Inland Latino community events to be canceled include the Coachella Valley’s annual Virgen de Guadalupe pilgrimage — a 30-mile religious march from Palm Springs to Coachella usually held in December — and Coachella’s Fiestas Patrias event that celebrates Mexican heritage and independence, according to published reports.
It’s not just events that have been affected.
In July, San Bernardino Diocese Bishop Alberto Rojas exempted Catholics in the diocese from the obligation of attending weekly Mass if they fear for themselves or their families. The diocese, which has 92 parishes and 12 missions across San Bernardino and Riverside counties, has seen reports of immigration activity at two church properties.
Still, some event organizers say immigration enforcement cannot stop the community — or its resilience.
Those behind the third iteration of the Mucho Gusto festival still plan to stage what’s billed as “a music festival without borders” on Saturday, Sept. 20, The ticketed event will feature Latino performers and art installations starting at 3 p.m. at North Park in Riverside.
Moreno Valley council members reached the same conclusion after discussing ICE concerns surrounding city events. They cited upcoming Latino-community heavy events such as the Day of the Dead and El Grito, an annual celebration of Mexican independence scheduled for Monday, Sept. 15 — the start of Hispanic Heritage Month — at the city’s civic center amphitheater.
Immigration enforcement “potentially affects our ability locally to be able to have public safety at any of our special events for the remainder of the year,” Moreno Valley City Manager Brian Mohan said at the Aug. 19 meeting. Mohan cited previous ICE activity and arrests in the city in July, a day before the city’s Fourth of July celebration.
The council voted 4-1 to move forward with the events this year, despite community concerns.
“If we cancel something, they win,” Councilmember Ed Delgado said.
Moreno Valley resident Fred Banuelos told the council he didn’t think events should be canceled unless law enforcement knew about “any credible threats.”
“I’m not afraid of these unannounced enforcements,” Banuelos said. “I’m a law-abiding citizen. I have nothing to worry about … If you’re afraid about these ICE raids, and you’re not here legally, don’t go.”
Resident Christopher Baca supported the cancellations, citing financial and safety concerns. Funding could be used for educational, safety or infrastructure purposes, he said.
“As far as the El Grito (event) is concerned, it’s primarily Hispanic — this is a big hypocrisy with the ICE enforcement,” Baca said. “Who doesn’t want criminals taken? But that’s not what they’re doing. They’re apprehending people who are doing what they normally do in our community.”
Nathan Urena, the city’s environmental and historical preservation commissioner, said “we cannot cancel our city events,” which he said make the community stronger.
Linda Alarcon, a board member with the Moreno Valley Hispanic Chamber, which supports the annual El Grito gathering, called the situation “sad — but these things are going on in our communities.”
“We don’t want to live in fear,” Alarcon said. “But above all else, we should lay low for a bit and make sure we keep our community members safe.”
Councilmember Erlan Gonzalez said these Latino community events are important to bring people together and should not be canceled, even if some are “living in fear.”
“It’s our new normal — we have to create safeguards — it’s important we don’t create more division,” Gonzalez said. “We don’t want to be that community. We’re not going to be able to protect everybody; it’s just not going to happen.”
Mayor Pro Tem Elena Baca-Santa Cruz, the lone vote in favor of canceling the city’s events, called El Grito “a beautiful celebration of culture,” but was concerned that “ICE kidnappings” are happening. She said the council should revisit the issue later.
“… I think in order to keep everybody safe, we need to postpone (El Grito) and think about it next year,” Baca-Santa Cruz said. “Once we start promoting these, like we did Fourth of July, I think we’re going to be asking ICE to come out.”
Moreno Valley Police Chief Sarah Mack told the council that, following Riverside County Sheriff’s Department guidelines, officers cannot interfere with immigration enforcement.
Moreno Valley Mayor Ulises Cabrera said more than 60% of Moreno Valley’s population is Latino, mostly from Mexico.
“Now is not the time to capitulate and to cave in and put our head in the sand and perpetuate that fear that is emanating from D.C.,” Cabrera said. “Now is the time to double down and express how proud we are of our diversity, of the various cultures that we have here in Moreno Valley represented by our constituents. Now is not the time to cancel these events and allow the other side to win. We should stand up louder than ever and express how proud we are of our culture, and where we come from.”