Overview
- The Santa Barbara Eastside Society called off the Dec. 13 Milpas Street Holiday Parade after participants reported feeling unsafe due to immigration enforcement activity.
- Parade director Tere Jurado said the decision followed weeks of conversations with families, performers, volunteers, local leaders and immigrant-rights partners.
- Community advocates described residents staying home to avoid being identified at Latino cultural events, referencing raids reported earlier in the year.
- There has been no public statement from the Department of Homeland Security indicating plans to target the parade, according to Breitbart.
- The cancellation follows October’s Dia de los Muertos parade being scrapped for similar reasons, and organizers say they will seek ways to revive the Milpas tradition next year.