Fear of raids by immigration authorities and bad weather forced organizers of one of the largest Latino cultural festivals in the state to reschedule their event slated for Sunday.
The leaders of the Colorado Latino Festival announced Saturday morning that they would reschedule the Boulder festival for a later date out of fear of immigration raids planned by federal authorities. News outlets first reported that the raids were planned for Sunday, though President Donald Trump announced Saturday afternoon that he would postpone the planned mass detentions for two weeks.
The potential for mass deportations prompted fear among Colorado’s immigrant community, especially after it was reported that Denver would be one of 10 targeted cities.
“Due to poor weather conditions and very real and announced threats of Immigration raids by the White House, the Colorado Latino Festival has taken the hard decision to postpone its event scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, June 23rd in Boulder, CO,” festival organizers wrote on Facebook. “This combination of conditions has created a not-so ideal scenario for everyone participating. We want to be sensible to our communities.”
In 2018, more than 20,000 people attended the free festival that celebrates Latin American and Caribbean cultures. The city and county of Boulder sponsors the event.
A new date has not been set for the 2019 event, but organizers said they would announce one soon.
Early last week, Colorado immigration attorneys and activists said the president was fear-mongering after he threatened to deport “millions” of immigrants. But the tone changed as news outlets reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to target 10 major cities and deport as many as 2,000 families.
Colorado mayors, police chiefs and the governor said they had little information about the plans. Immigrant rights groups started spreading information about how to handle an encounter with ICE agents. After the raids were postponed, activists berated the administration for terrorizing immigrant communities.
“We will not be lulled into a false sense of security by this new announcement, nor will we be driven to constant terror,” Jeanette Vizguerra, local immigration rights leader, said in a news release issued by the Colorado Rapid Response Network. “We will remain vigilant and ready to protect our rights and to protect each other.”
