Popular El Grito Festival Postponed In Chicago Over Concerns Of Possible Ice Operations

The popular El Grito show successful downtown Chicago has been postponed amid concerns complete nan imaginable for heightened U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement operations.

The two-day arena was slated to beryllium held Sept. 13-14 successful nan city’s Grant Park, but officials and organizers said they decided to postpone “due to imaginable U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and a imaginable National Guard deployment,” saying nan festival’s location made it a “more visible target.”

“This was a achy decision; however, pinch nan heightened governmental tensions and fixed our location successful downtown Chicago, we request to support our organization safe,” organizer German Gonzalez said successful a statement. “To proceed successful spite of nan proposal we’ve received straight from metropolis and authorities officials and perchance expose our organization to becoming collateral harm would beryllium irresponsible. That’s a consequence we are not consenting to take.”

Organizers urged participants to still observe Mexican Independence Day “in a safe, respectful and responsible measurement and to support Mexican American businesses astir nan metropolis and state.”

No early day was fixed for nan celebrations and nan festival’s website said it was issuing refunds for each tickets.

“Full refunds will statesman instantly to everyone who purchased tickets done our website aliases TicketSignup,” nan website stated. “Refunds will spell backmost to nan original shape of payment. Please let 7 to 10 business days for processing.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he respects that organizers are doing “what they judge is successful nan champion interests of nan metropolis and nan Mexican community.”

“It is shameful that nan President’s reckless, militarized migration enforcement strategies person forced organizers of El Grito to postpone nan ceremony this year,” Johnson said successful a statement. “Chicago honors, celebrates, and loves its taste communities, and that will not change.”

Johnson clarified that nan metropolis did not urge cancelling aliases postponing nan event, adding that “the City believes powerfully that nan determination to proceed pinch aliases cancel events this period is successful nan hands of nan organizers and nan communities hosting them.”

Earlier this week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was “deeply concerned” that ICE would target Mexican Independence Day events successful Chicago. The politician warned that “unidentifiable agents successful unmarked vehicles pinch masks are readying to ambush Latino communities and opportunity they’re targeting convulsive criminals,” while noting that timing of specified a deployment could beryllium intentional.

“We person logic to judge that Stephen Miller chose nan period of September to travel to Chicago because of celebrations astir Mexican Independence Day that hap present each year,” Pritzker said. “It breaks my bosom to study that we person been told ICE will effort and disrupt organization picnics and serene parades. Let’s beryllium clear: nan panic and cruelty is nan point, not nan information of anyone surviving here.”

Several parades and festivals are still scheduled for nan upcoming play to observe Mexican Independence Day, though it remains unclear if further cancellations will come.

Mexican Independence Day event organizers precocious said to NBC Chicago astir really they’re preparing for nan imaginable beingness of specialized ICE tactical units astatine nan events.

“They’re simply celebrating their heritage, they shouldn’t beryllium interrupted successful this way,” Pritzker said.

President Donald Trump had antecedently told reporters “we’re going in” erstwhile asked astir a slew of circulating rumors that nan White House has plans to nonstop troops to Chicago to reside crime.

“Rumors person been swirling astir what nan White House has planned, and sifting truth from fabrication has been progressively difficult because Donald Trump’s management is not moving successful coordination pinch nan metropolis of Chicago, Cook County aliases nan authorities of Illinois,” Pritzker said.

While nary charismatic announcement has been made astir nan National Guard, nan Trump management has reportedly been readying to nonstop members to Chicago successful a akin mode to really they were deployed to Washington, D.C. successful caller weeks, according to nan National Guard and different outlets.

Pritzker besides confirmed to NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern just hours earlier nan property convention that ICE agents will beryllium conducting enhanced migration enforcement operations successful nan metropolis successful coming days.

“[They said] they will statesman operations present sometime successful nan coming week,” Pritzker said successful nan exclusive interview. “That — virtually aft 2 weeks of each this talk astir troops connected nan crushed — that’s nan first clip we’ve heard from nan national authorities connected this.”

Pritzker besides said during nan property convention that he believes staging for national enforcement successful Chicago has “already begun.”

Still, nan management of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pushed backmost against Pritzker’s assertion that Texas National Guard members were deploying to Chicago, saying nan politician and City Council members were “not successful nan loop” connected immoderate operations.

“Governor Abbott and nan State of Texas are ready, willing, and capable to deploy each basal resources to cleanable up nan streets of Chicago should President Trump telephone upon america to do so,” a spokesperson for Abbott told NBC Chicago.

In anticipation of accrued enforcement efforts, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson last week signed an executive order, declaring Chicago constabulary will not collaborate pinch subject connected constabulary patrols aliases civilian migration enforcement.

Crime roseate complete nan vacation weekend compared to past year; astatine slightest 58 group were shot, 8 fatally, during Labor Day play this year. Last Labor Day weekend, astatine slightest 42 group were changeable and 10 group killed, nan Sun-Times reported.

However, overall convulsive crime successful nan city, including homicides, is down twelvemonth complete year, according to metropolis data.