The municipal government of Everett is canceling a signature Hispanic Heritage Month festival amid increased immigration enforcement activity across the city.
In a Thursday evening post, the city of Everett wrote on Facebook that it had “made the difficult decision” to cancel the Fiesta Del Rio, planned for Sept. 20 at Rivergreen Park. Community groups and immigration advocates have reported an increase of sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles and agents recently in Everett and other cities with large immigrant populations.
“We know how much this event means to our city. It’s a celebration of culture, music, food and togetherness. But with the recent ICE raids in our region, many of our friends and neighbors are feeling fear and uncertainty,” Mayor Carlo DeMaria wrote in the statement. He said his administration believes it “would not be right to hold a celebration at a time when members of our community may not feel safe attending.”
The event cancellation comes amid a surge of immigration-related arrests across Massachusetts. In Somerville, ICE vehicles have been spotted and photographed from Winter Hill to Union Square throughout the week.
ICE launched a new operation in early September promising to detain the “worst of the worst.” in Massachusetts, dubbed “Patriot 2.0.” ICE and the Department of Homeland Security didn’t reply to requests for how many arrests have been made in Everett specifically.
More than 45% of Everett’s population is foreign-born, according to census data, and nearly two-thirds of those people are not U.S. citizens. Immigrants from Brazil, Central and South America, and Haiti call the city home.
When a community member asked how the city is helping immigrants feel safe, a person behind the city of Everett’s Facebook account wrote, “We are listening. We heard the concerns about this event which helped us make a tough decision.”
DeMaria wasn’t available for an interview before this article’s publication. His office said the city can’t comment on any specifics related to ICE arrests and that local law enforcement “is not involved in those arrests.”
Councilor at Large Katy Rogers said the council wasn’t involved in the decision, and that she heard on social media that the festival was canceled. She said usually a few hundred people attend the event.
Her office received messages and calls about ICE sightings. Rogers said those have increased in the past two weeks. Rogers mentioned one specific case: a 27-year-old painter who was detained by ICE last weekend in an area casino. She said he is alleged to have no criminal record, but family members have been afraid to talk.
“There’s a lot of fear being instilled in our community because people don’t know when ICE is going to show up. And because the elected officials do not have any official communication or information about ICE activity, it increases this fear,” she said. “There’s a disconnect between the federal government and what’s good for our local community.”
The LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts has received more recent reports of ICE sightings and arrests in Everett.
“The cancellation was in part because the city was unable/unwilling to provide a safety plan [for the event],” said Jaya Savita, director of the Asian and Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, a part of LUCE’s community coalition.
The city didn’t return requests for comment about whether it could have done that.
Lorna Rivera, who leads the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development & Public Policy, is a member of the Embrace Massó “¡Con Salsa!” International Music Festival. The event — this year celebrating the radio show’s 50th anniversary — will take place on Saturday on Boston Common and will continue despite ICE sightings in Boston.
Rivera said there has definitely been an increase in activity since ICE began its new operation, but disagrees with the cancellation of the Everett event.
“All this does is it makes everyone afraid. I don’t think we should let fear prevent us from living our everyday lives and having joy and celebration — I know that sounds very idealistic, but if there was assurance, if there was assurance from the local police that people would be safe — then it could have continued,” she said. “Joy is resistance, you know,” she said, acknowledging she is a U.S. citizen and has “the privilege of not having to be afraid.”
The Fiesta Del Rio event highlights Hispanic-owned businesses, organizations and cultural programs, and features music, family-friendly activities and food from local vendors.
“We remain committed to celebrating our city’s diversity in the future, and we will look for other ways to come together as one community,” DeMaria wrote in the post. “Thank you for your understanding, and please know our city stands with you.”
