Little Village Cancels Annual Cinco de Mayo Parade: ‘There is Nothing to Celebrate’

This year, Little Village residents will miss the sounds of Mariachi and colorful folklórico dresses in the Southwest Side neighborhood for Cinco de Mayo.

Organizers canceled the annual parade planned for Monday due to heightened concerns over immigration enforcement. “Our community is very frightened because of the raids and the threat that ICE has imposed on the families that work tirelessly to provide a better future for their kids,” the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce Industry Inc. and Casa Puebla Inc. told other outlets.

“Our community has faced bullying and prosecution and are not indulging in community activities. Therefore, we feel that there is nothing to celebrate,” the organizers said in a joint statement.

The Cinco de Mayo parade, typically a joyous celebration of Mexican heritage and culture, has been held for decades, attracting thousands of attendees for the festivities.

In earlier years, the parade typically kicked off around noon on Cermak Road from Damen Ave. to Marshall Blvd. and was marked by traditional music, dancing and food.

Guerrero Auto Repair and Tires has participated in the Cinco de Mayo parade since the ‘90s. Manager Erika Cruz said the parade is usually an opportunity to expose her kids to their culture.

“We look forward to it every year, with our kids who are fourth-generation Mexican-American,” Cruz said. “They miss out on culture as well as festivities. A little piece of our culture goes missing because they’re deprived from seeing what we saw growing up.”

In recent years, the parade has faced other challenges.

Last year, Little Village’s Cinco de Mayo parade was cut short after shots were fired along the parade route. It was also previously cancelled twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and permit issues in 2018. Organizers say it was also due to a lack of support from former Ald. George Cardenas, who denied these claims, according to a Sun Times report.

This year’s cancellation comes as President Donald Trump has targeted immigrants, signing a slew of executive orders, many of which increased ICE presence across sanctuary cities like Chicago. His administration also filed lawsuits against the city, Cook County and Illinois over policies that limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

While the parade’s cancellation heavily impacts longtime community members, business owners are also feeling the effects. With the parade typically involving local small businesses, Cruz said her family-owned business, which opened in Pilsen in 1987, won’t get the usual opportunity to pass out flyers and candy to meet newcomers in the area.

“Usually, it is an opportunity for small businesses to promote,” Cruz said. “Unfortunately, without that, a lot of new people that just moved into the area don’t know about local businesses.”

Community members like Cruz are still hosting more intimate and private celebrations for Cinco de Mayo despite the cancellation.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) said this cancellation should be taken as a call to action for mobilization against the Trump administration.

“These parades bring communities together,” he said. “They bring pride and joy to our community as we celebrate Mexican heritage and history…This is not a normal time. We cannot normalize seeing our neighbors being terrorized by ICE and the federal government.”

Sigcho-Lopez said the community continues to celebrate its culture by supporting each other amid attacks from the federal government.

“Our community has been marginalized and demonized for way too long,” he said. “We always celebrate our culture and identity. We are proud of where we come from…We celebrate in solidarity and support for one another.”

Tara Mobasher is a Northwestern Medill Reporting fellow at Borderless Magazine. Email Tara at [email protected].