Organizers of El Grito Chicago, the city’s Mexican Independence Day festival, have canceled this year’s two-day celebration in Grant Park, citing fears of heightened immigration enforcement.
The announcement, made Thursday, said safety concerns drove the decision to cancel he Chicago festival planned for Sept. 13-14, two days ahead of actual Independence Day celebrations in Mexico. A ceremonial “Grito” (the cry of Independence) was to be held on Sunday, Sept. 14, led by the consul general of Mexico in Chicago.
“It was a painful decision, but holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake — and that’s a risk we are unwilling to take,” organizers wrote on Elgritochicago.com, a website now dedicated to ticket refunds.
Priced at mainly US $25 to $45 for single-day tickets, admission was to include live music by top Mexican artists, folkloric dance, mariachis, authentic food, artisan markets and family activities.
German Gonzalez, the festival’s lead organizer, cited racial profiling and the lack of due process for those arrested make holding the event too much of a risk. “And at the end of the day,” he said, the [Trump] administration is looking to provoke.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker had warned that deportation raids could begin in Chicago as early as this week, with roughly 300 agents stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes and federal processing expected at the Broadview immigration facility.
He accused U.S. President Doald Trump aide Stephen Miller, the architect of the crackdown, of deliberately timing the surge to coincide with Mexican Independence Day.
“Let’s be clear: the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here,” Pritzker said.
About 25,000 people were expected at El Grito Chicago, which debuted last year as a family-friendly alternative to unregulated street caravans.
Chicago is home to one of the nation’s largest Mexican communities, with more than 21% of residents identifying as Mexican, according to U.S. Census data cited by CBS Chicago.
Cook County — composed mostly of Chicago but also cities such as Elgin and Cicero — ranks third nationally in Mexican immigrant and Mexican American population, behind Los Angeles and Harris (Houston) counties.
Reyna Torres Mendivil, Mexico’s consul general in Chicago, said her office supports at least 17 Independence Day celebrations across Illinois and Indiana, though some may be shifting venues or moving online.
“Nothing of what may happen negates the pride of being Mexican and of celebrating our heritage, with our family, with dignity and respect,” Torres Mendivil said in the Chicago Tribune.
Other area events will take place, such as this Saturday’s 24th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade in Pilsen, a historically Latino neighborhood in Chicago.
“We are confident that nothing is going to escalate, nothing’s going to happen,” said Vicky Lugo, secretary of Pilsen’s chamber of commerce and a parade organizer. “We’re not changing plans anytime soon.”
Event organizers in Pilsen and elsewhere said they will be adding volunteers to watch for immigration activity and distribute “know your rights” cards.
Meanwhile, a Sept. 14 parade in the city of North Chicago has been canceled by the organizing Fiesta Patrias group; however, a parade the same day in adjacent Waukegan, Illinois is still on — for now.
Waukegan officials said they are closely monitoring ICE activity and will make a final decision on their parade closer to Sept. 14.
With reports from Chicago Tribune and CBS Chicago
