DOWNTOWN \u2014 A popular Mexican Independence Day festival scheduled for next weekend in Grant Park has been called off due to the threat of a large immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, organizers announced Thursday.<\/p>\n
Organizers behind El Grito Chicago, set to take place Sept. 13-14 in Grant Park, said Thursday that they would be postponing this year\u2019s event after discussing the situation with city and state officials. However, they did not provide a new date for the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a painful decision; however, with the heightened political tensions and given our location in downtown Chicago, we need to keep our community safe,\u201d said German Gonzalez, an organizer for El Grito Chicago, in a statement. \u201cTo proceed in spite of the advice we\u2019ve received directly from city and state officials and potentially expose our community to becoming collateral damage would be irresponsible. That\u2019s a risk we are not willing to take.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s two-day El Grito attracted about 24,000 people and recorded no festival-related incidents, organizers previously said. The change to this year\u2019s plans come as city and state leaders have warned residents of a planned widespread immigration crackdown by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n
Gov. JB Pritzker said this week that he was notified that federal immigration agents will soon be deployed to Chicago, saying his administration believes the timing is tied to the city\u2019s annual Mexican Independence Day festivities. That potentially puts Latino communities at particular risk of being targeted for federal immigration enforcement raids.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt breaks my heart to report that we have been told ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful gatherings,\u201d Pritzker said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
El Grito said previously this week it was considering how to move forward considering the threat of widespread raids. <\/p>\n