April 09, 2025
Sara Diggins/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The El Carnaval de Pueblo celebration in South Philly, slated for April 27, has been canceled due to fears that immigrants may be targeted by ICE, organizers say. Above, the Mexican flag.
El Carnaval de Puebla, the annual South Philadelphia festival commemorating Mexican history and culture, has been canceled due to concerns about the Trump administration's policies toward immigrants.
Organizers called off the festival after community members expressed fears that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may target the celebration, the Inquirer first reported. The event, which had been scheduled for April 27, is one of the largest carnavals on the East Coast. It draws up to 15,000 from across the country to Pennsport.
"People don't want to participate because of what's going on," Olga Renteria, a member of committee tasked with organizing the event, told the Inquirer. "People worry if they show up for the carnaval and ICE is waiting for them."
Renteria also said the organizers were struggling to raise money to put on the event, which honors Mexico's military victory over French invaders during the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. During Carnaval de Puebla, people dressed in bearded masks and colorful capes parade along Washington Avenue before a festival with food and live music.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump's policies towards immigrants, including the attempt to end birthright citizenship, have left many communities on edge. Over the past few months, ICE agents have raided businesses, including a car wash in Juniata Park and a meat market in Northeast Philadelphia, to search for and detain undocumented immigrants.
The Carnaval de Puebla event also was canceled in 2017, during the first Trump administration, for similar reasons. Renteria told CNN that the organizers are considering holding a smaller festival instead, but nothing has been decided.
