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Día de los Muertos parade canceled due to ICE fears
The annual Día de los Muertos parade has been called off due to fear of possible ICE raids.
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Over the weekend, Long Beach city officials announced the annual Día de los Muertos Parade is canceled this year.
What they're saying:
The decision was made due to ongoing federal immigration raids across Southern California.
"This decision did not come lightly and was the result of concerns related to the activities of the region being conducted by federal law enforcement," wrote Long Beach Councilwoman Mary Zendejas in a statement.
The statement continued to say, "The decision to cancel this year’s parade was made out of an abundance of caution to address the genuine fears raised by community members, especially those who may face the possibility of sudden and indiscriminate federal enforcement actions that undermine the sense of security necessary to participate fully in public life."
City officials also opted to cancel the Arte Y Ofrendas Festival.
Dig deeper:
The announcement was made the same weekend seven undocumented immigrants were arrested by ICE agents during raids at car washes in the city.
RELATED: ICE in Long Beach: 7 car wash workers arrested
What's next:
Long Beach officials will allocate the $100,000 budgeted in hopes of bringing back the events next year.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Long Beach city officials.