El Grito event to be held at Pilsen church amid "Operation Midway Blitz" fears in Chicago
A Mexican Independence Day tradition is continuing in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, despite fears over immigration enforcement, although this year's El Grito festivities look a little different.
The tradition re-creates the Cry of Dolores -- a call to arms in 1810 that launched Mexico's war for independence from Spain.
Now it's another freedom that's top of mind for Chicago's Mexican American community, which fears that they are being unjustly targeted for political reasons amid "Operation Midway Blitz," the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation underway in the Chicago area.
The annual El Grito celebration in Pilsen is taking place beginning at 5 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, at 2127 W. 22nd Pl.
"That is the heart of our history, our culture, our tenacity; and there's a saying, 'Wherever there is a Mexican in the world, there will be a Grito," said organizer Teresa Fraga.
While the festivities will go on this year, the event looks different than years past.
"We are prepared with every single protocol ... to deal with A, B and C," Fraga said.
Organizers said they changed the location for this annual event at least three times for safety. Worst-case scenario, they have to respond to an ICE raid, but even in the past, they have set up fencing around the festival, and the cost turned out to be a big issue this year.
The Mexican Cultural Committee of Chicago moved from their usual spot blocks away in Harrison Park to St. Paul Catholic Church, because the cost of fencing in the park area had become too expensive to cover with sponsors concerned about the possibility of cancellations.
"Sponsorships, with all this fear, were ... you know, sponsors, we understand they're not going to let go of their money if something's going to be canceled," Fraga said. "But the main reason was how big it is, and how we could not keep it safe, and that's number one priority: safety," Fraga said.
Set up early on the edge of this year's perimeter, Janet Arias said she was surprised to see she was the only vendor on site for hours.
"Really bad. There's no street vendors. Last year was really packed with street vendors. But no one's here. They're scare, immigrants, of the ICE," she said.
She says her family has run a street vendor operation for six years, but this year their business is less than half of what they usually take in.
The event's organizers said rapid response teams are ready for the worst-case scenario of an ICE raid.
"We're resilient. Our culture has it in us. We're not going to back down," said Nellie Quintana of the Mexican Cultural Committee of Chicago. "We're going to speak for those that cannot speak for themselves. We're going to reenact El Grito for those that cannot come out."
But the celebration will go on, much like Sunday's 26th Street parade in Little Village, thousands of people lined the parade route to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
Organizers at each event prepared for the possibility that enhanced ICE enforcement could encroach on their events, while hoping the concerns won't keep the crowds away.
"I feel happy, because you know what the purpose is? It's to celebrate our history. Come to celebrate our history. Come and celebrate our culture. Come and celebrate who we are. Our contributions to this country are immense," Fraga said.
No ICE agents were reported at Sunday's Little Village parade, despite concerns about the federal immigration crackdown in Chicago. So far on Monday, there has been no sign of ICE activity in Pilsen, though there have been reports of detainments in West Chicago in the western suburbs.
Berto Aguayo, police co-chairman with the Latino Council, said he noticed that people didn't stick around as much after the Sunday parade, which businesses benefited from in the past, at a time when business is already down.
The El Grito celebration in Pilsen is separate from the two-day El Grito festival held in Grant Park, which was originally scheduled for this past weekend, but was postponed out of fears about the ICE crackdown in Chicago.