{"id":768916,"date":"2026-05-02T20:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T20:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/768916\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T20:27:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T20:27:23","slug":"ice-no-shows-at-cinco-de-mayo-parade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/768916\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE No-Shows at Cinco de Mayo Parade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Susan Salinas arrived at City Hall on Saturday morning with a Mexican flag and a prayer that one day all people will feel welcome in her hometown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not scared of ICE and I don\u2019t know anybody in my circle who is scared of ICE,\u201d said Salinas, a third-generation Texan and native Houstonian. \u201cWe\u2019re celebrating our culture and our heritage. It\u2019s a shame that more people didn\u2019t show up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fewer than a hundred spectators gathered along Bagby Street and the surrounding area to watch Houston\u2019s League of United Latin American Citizens District 18 Freedom Parade<\/a>, an alternative event scheduled after LULAC District VII canceled its annual Cinco de Mayo festival due to \u201cgenuine, paralyzing fear that attending a high-profile public gathering could result in the irreversible separation of families.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the spectators were few, more than 2,000 people registered to participate in Saturday\u2019s parade, including\u00a0 Harris County judge hopefuls Annise Parker and Orlando Sanchez, several Houston City Council members, the Texas A&M University mariachi band and students from the Raul Yzaguirre Schools for Success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"More than 2,000 people participated in Saturday\u2019s parade but there weren\u2019t very many spectators who showed up to watch it. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n

The gathering was heavily criticized and boycotted by some who felt it could attract Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to harass and detain people. However, at Saturday\u2019s event, there were no ICE agents in sight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LULAC District VIII has hosted the Cinco de Mayo parade since 1994. It\u2019s been canceled before, during the COVID-19 pandemic, but never because of immigration concerns. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army\u2019s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Saturday, several Houston Police Department officers patrolled the area around City Hall as they always do during permitted special events. Immigration concerns have been voiced by hundreds of Houstonians at recent city council meetings. Last month, the council adopted a policy that would limit HPD\u2019s interactions with ICE, mandating that traffic stops should end when a ticket or warning is issued rather than having officers wait for ICE agents to dispose of non-criminal immigration warrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott apparently didn\u2019t like the ordinance and threatened to withdraw $114 million in public safety grants, alleging the new policy violated an agreement with the state and was therefore unlawful. In a 13-4 vote two weeks after the ordinance was approved, the council amended its policy to allow HPD to wait a \u201creasonable amount of time\u201d for an officer to arrive when an immigration warrant is identified.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Susan Salinas proudly showed up at Saturday\u2019s Cinco de Mayo event. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n

Critics say the amendment was a step backward and represents \u201cbending the knees\u201d to Abbott and President Donald Trump\u2019s aggressive immigration efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At Saturday\u2019s parade, however, the mood was not adversarial as Latin American residents celebrated their heritage. Organizers maintained that there was no data to support that a Cinco de Mayo parade would be a high-risk endeavor. Jesse Rodriguez, a longtime member of LULAC District 18, said he was disappointed that Houston\u2019s many Latin American advocacy groups are divided over where and when to gather.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey dropped the ball, and we picked it up,\u201d he said, referencing District VII\u2019s cancellation of the annual parade. \u201cA lot of people were confused. They tried to sabotage this and keep people away. I think it did keep some people away. It was important for us to be here to highlight our community groups, our culture and our talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s efforts to clarify its policy, adopt a new one, and then go back to what some say is worse than what was on the books in the first place just to appease the governor haven\u2019t done much to provide peace of mind for the Latino community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Participants in Saturday\u2019s parade said they wouldn\u2019t be deterred from celebrating Latin American culture. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n

Council Member Alejandra Salinas, who crafted the immigration ordinance that ultimately got reversed, said at Saturday\u2019s event, \u201cWe\u2019re out here today to celebrate Latino culture, celebrate our history, celebrate everything we\u2019ve done and celebrate where we\u2019re going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organizer Isidro Garza said he was pleased with the event. \u201cFor those who were here, it was worth every minute we spent planning this,\u201d he said. \u201cFor those who missed it, it\u2019s their loss.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great day,\u201d he added. \u201cIt instills pride in our youth. We live in a world of turmoil, particularly with the Hispanic community. Cinco de Mayo represents self-governance. We have to have a government from the bottom up, a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those in attendance commented on the beautiful weather and the opportunity to freely celebrate their culture and history. After the parade concluded, Susan Salinas said her day of festivities was just getting started. \u201cNow, we go to Ninfa\u2019s,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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