The Parades That Didn't Happen: What ICE Anxiety Has Cost U.S. Latino Communities Since Last Year

People sit by a mural depicting labor leader Cesar Chavez during the Cinco de Mayo parade in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on May 2, 2026. The Latino community in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area is celebrating its first Cinco de Mayo since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted large operations in early 2026. (Credit: Photo by Kerem YUCEL / AFP via Getty Images)

Key Takeaways

• Over the past year, organizers in more than a dozen U.S. cities have canceled, postponed, shrunk, or moved indoors Hispanic festivals and parades — from a 71-year-old California holiday parade to Chicago's Cinco de Mayo celebrations — citing fear that large crowds could draw immigration agents.
• Survey data from the Brookings Institution shows the retreat goes beyond festivals: 15% of foreign-born Latinos now stay away from parks and public recreation spots, and close to a quarter avoid protests or rallies over deportation fears.
• The pullback is hitting Latino-owned businesses and even the safety tools built to track enforcement activity — Apple pulled the popular ICEBlock app from its store in October 2025, so it can no longer be newly downloaded even as other apps keep gaining users.