Chicago’s Cinco de Mayo parade is on pause this year. Event organizers say it was canceled over fears of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Nearly half of the parade sponsors dropped out after the city became a major target for immigration enforcement agents, according to organizers.

“It really didn’t matter about how much money we could make or how much money we could lose, but more important is to keep the community safe,” said Hector Escobar, president of Casa Puebla and the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce.

Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which takes place in September, Cinco de Mayo is the anniversary of a battle in Puebla, Mexico. The day celebrates and commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French on May 5, 1862, more than 50 years after Mexico was liberated from Spanish rule.

For more than 40 years, Chicago has had a parade honoring the day and Mexican heritage.

“Before we just had the parade with a few cars, and now we have beautiful floats,” Escobar said. “We have about 500 horses and dancers. The government from Puebla, Mexico, they send schools and people with investments to enjoy. It’s definitely a tradition we don’t want to lose but with this administration, it’s better to keep our people safe.”

Escobar announced the cancellation last month, saying the community “feels there is nothing to celebrate.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Customs and Enforcement, or ICE, agents made 32,809 enforcement arrests within the first 50 days of the second Trump administration. Comparatively, in the entire fiscal year 2024, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made 33,242 of these at-large arrests.

“Any tradition that gets compromised because of the violence that the federal government has unleashed, scaring our community, is really a call for action,” said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward), who represents areas like Pilsen and Little Village. “I think little by little the community has started to overcome the fear. We cannot be afraid of dictators. We have to organize.”

It’s unclear how many ICE arrests have occurred in Chicago in 2025 because the agency doesn’t release arrest data for specific cities or regions. However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed a lawsuit challenging the legalities of 22 arrests ICE made in Chicago, claiming they were unlawful.

Trump has promised to execute the largest deportation plan in U.S. history. Communities like Little Village and Pilsen have seen a complete transformation. Streets are often vacant, and community members have expressed fear of attending work or sending their children to school as a result of ICE raids across the city and suburbs.

“We’ve seen the decline in economic activity, in very vital areas like 26th Street and 18th Street,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “Not only the economic loss, but the attack on the identity, the culture, the vibrancy of our neighborhoods. It is really an attack on communities to spread fear, hate, dehumanization and criminalization.”

Escobar said some community members are considering returning to Mexico to avoid interactions with ICE agents and that the governor of Puebla, Mexico, Alejandro Armenta Mier, is planning to open an office in Chicago to provide services for those preparing to leave the U.S.

Escobar said it remains unclear whether the Cinco de Mayo parade will return next year, but he and other organizers have plans to meet with Mayor Brandon Johnson to discuss relaunching the celebrations next year.

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