VivirLatino

No Cinco de Mayo celebration in Virginia

13:53 H | Topics: Events - Immigration - Virginia

Virginia's Mexican-American community had to do without their annual Cinco de Mayo celebration this year, as a result of a curious phone call from ICE officials and fears that possible immigration raids might make attendees an easy target for ICE officials:

An organizer said she called off the traditional May 5 celebration of Hispanic pride after she said she received a phone call from the Fairfax office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"I don't want to be responsible for one single parent to be taken from their home, whether they're illegal or not," said Maria Roe, who launched the festival three years ago.

Roe, who writes a Spanish-language column for a local weekly newspaper, said she asked the caller why she was interested in the festival and didn't get an answer.

"What does that make you think?" Roe told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in an interview published Friday.

It makes me think that she did the right thing. What do you think? Do you think the Latino community should cancel high-profile public events to protect undocumented attendees, or should the show go on? Let us know in the comments section.

Via / WSLS.com

Related

• 9-11 ICE Arrests in San Francisco Highlight Disregard for Nuestros Niños y Familias (Monday, Sep 15 2008)
• ICE Raids Must be Stopped (Friday, Sep 12 2008)