Cinco de Mayo parade in Little Village cancelled for second year in a row over concerns about immigration enforcement

For the second year in a row, organizers have cancelled the Cinco de Mayo parade in the Little Village neighborhood, over concerns about federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Local officials and restaurateurs in the community say the cancellation will impact businesses on what was meant to be a celebratory day. 

Handmade tortillas have been a staple since 1989 at La Casa de Samuel in Little Village. Arturo Linares now runs the restaurant started by his grandfather. 

He said, like so many neighborhood businesses, customers just aren't dining in as they did before the Trump administration's enhanced immigration enforcement. 

"Not just us, everyone is getting impacted," Linares said. "Everyone is scared. Everyone is tense right now."

That trepidation felt throughout the community is in part why Hector Escobar, president of the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce and Casa Puebla and one of the organizers of the annual Cinco de Mayo parade, cancelled the vibrant celebration for the second straight year. 

"It's not about money, it's about the safety of the community," he said. "It's sad because it's a very cultural event that's gone on for 40 plus years."

Escobar said community feedback influenced the decision to cancel the upcoming parade that celebrates Mexico's victory over the French army in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The triumph over the better-equipped and much larger French troops was an enormous emotional boost for Mexican soldiers led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza.

In 2024, the parade of more than 5,000 participants was interrupted when shots were fired on the parade route. At least 27 people were arrested. Police said the shooting was a feud between rival gangs.

Community leaders in Little Village said they were surprised to see the parade cancelled this year, as ICE activity has not been as intense.

"It's unfortunate that this administration has traumatized the neighborhood to where we don't want to celebrate because we are afraid, and also the business are afraid," said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council. "People come to the restaurants, they fill up the neighborhood, they go shopping, and it's going to have a negative effect on the businesses."

Casa de Samuel is one of those businesses that normally rely on the large parade crowds. 

"They want to have a good time while they're eating, so they come here usually," Linares said. "That's going to change because of what's going on, and it's a little bit unfortunate."

"Next year we don't know, we hope next year it will change, but at this point we have to be very careful what we do," Escobar said.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is seen as a celebration of Mexican American culture, stretching back to the 1800s in California. Festivities typically include parades, street food, block parties, mariachi competitions, and baile folklórico, or folkloric ballet, with whirling dancers wearing bright, ruffled dresses and their hair tied with shiny ribbons.

The day is often mistaken by Americans for Mexican Independence Day, which is in September.