Cinco de Mayo celebrations in St. Paul's West Side neighborhood
Some cities canceled Cinco de Mayo celebrations this spring because of fear over immigration crackdowns, but not Saint Paul, Minnesota.
It was a beautiful day in the 'barrio', the West Side neighborhood of Minnesota's capital city.
"Everybody's talking to each other and saying 'Hi! How are you?!'" said Nan Jahnke of Saint Paul.
"The love that comes from putting this event on is huge, that's where it came from" said Isaac Contreras who said he's been attending since he was in the parade as a kid. "The love in the neighborhood, love of la cultura, love of la familia."
Which Mayor Melvin Carter says is vital for all to understand.
"Every year I give my staff a quiz on why Cinco de Mayo is important for everybody, every American," Mayor Carter told WCCO.
Despite other cities canceling their celebration this year, event organizers in Saint Paul said they never once thought about taking away your tacos y musica.
Some people have five, six, seven generations of blood sweat and tears in this community. There is some angst, but we put too much time and effort in this community to run away" said Santino Franco, who's a part of the Cinco de Mayo Committee.
Philadelphia and Chicago say they canceled their events over concerns about the Trump Administration's immigration policies. Saint Paul is a so-called 'Sanctuary City', which prevents government resources from arresting or identifying undocumented immigrants at an event like this.
"We are so much stronger because our diversity," said Saint Paul Council President Rebecca Noecker. "We need to celebrate all the different cultures and heritages. That's what makes Saint Paul the incredible place it is."
"There's been a Hispanic community here since I was a little girl, so I love it," said Jahnke. "Except I have corn in my teeth!" she added while eating elote.
According to the state's website, the Latino population is the third-largest demographic group in Minnesota.