Los Angeles and several surrounding cities are canceling — or postponing — Fourth of July celebrations in response to increased activity by federal immigration officials in the area.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation postponed a summer movie and concert series, while canceling this year’s East Los Angeles Rock’n 4th of July celebration “out of caution and in response to recent ICE enforcement activity.”
One of the city’s biggest Fourth of July events that drew thousands in 2024, the Gloria Molina Grand Park Summer Block Party, has been indefinitely postponed due to “the ongoing circumstances impacting the region.”
Other communities surrounding Los Angeles also reportedly decided to cancel their Fourth of July events in light of the ongoing federal immigration enforcement in the area, including the cities of Bell Gardens, Boyle Heights, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Whittier and the town of El Sereno.
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In Huntington Park, the cancellation goes beyond just the Fourth of July holiday and includes a 30-day pause on “certain public summer events,” according to a statement released by the city.
“Reports of unmarked vehicles and unidentified federal agents have created widespread anxiety, particularly among immigrant and mixed-status families,” according to the Huntington Park statement. “Many residents have expressed fear and uncertainty, leading them to remain indoors, refrain from work, and withdraw from daily public life. Our priority is and will continue to be the safety and peace of mind of our community.”
Officials from these communities halting their Independence Day events have been outspoken against the Trump administration’s decision to ramp up federal immigration enforcement.
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Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores has described the increased prevalence of ICE raids in and around Los Angeles as a “campaign of domestic terror” and “psychological warfare that I’ve only seen in theaters of war,” according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile, the vice mayor of the City of Cudahy allegedly called on gang leaders in a now-deleted TikTok post to defend their territory from ICE.
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A report Monday by The New York Times found that, since June 6, “agents from several federal agencies have arrested about 2,000 immigrants in the Los Angeles region,” according to documents obtained by the outlet, which added that the arrests have “been one of the reasons so many are on edge.”
This week, the Pentagon released 150 California National Guard troops from their federal security mission in Los Angeles to help fight wildfires.