Louisiana Hispanic Heritage Festival Canceled Amid ICE Raid Concerns
KENNER, LA (KPEL) — The City of Kenner has made a tough call and announced it will be canceling the Hispanic Heritage Festival this year.
Kenner Hispanic Heritage Festival Canceled
Valeria Kawas, Kenner’s Cultural Coordinator and one of the festival's organizers, shared the news with WVUE three months ahead of the event, saying, "The city of Kenner has decided to cancel Hispanic Fest, or as I like to say, pause it for this year."
The official decision was made after Hispanic residents vocalized being afraid of attending the event due to the increase in ICE raids in Louisiana and across the country.
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According to WVUE, Kenner has the largest Hispanic Population in Louisiana, and the festival was started two years ago to honor Latino music, food, and their vibrant culture.
Recent ICE Raids Raise Concerns About Attending Festival
However, due to recent events, protests, and ICE raids, Hispanic residents could be put at risk, so instead, the event has been 'paused' according to event organizers.
We decided that it would be more prudent, maybe is the word to say, to just pause it for this year. We don’t want to put the community at risk.
A construction site on Loyola Drive in Kenner was a recent target of an ICE raid, where IDs were checked along with addresses. A bystander captured the raid on video and shared a comment with WVUE describing it as chaos.
I see six or seven cars pull up. It was just chaos. They came. They checked IDs. They checked their residency.
The community is saddened by the cancellation despite the decision being made in the best interest of everyone.
