Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado | FILE PHOTOS
LOS ANGELES – As immigration enforcement operations continue daily in Southern California, a growing list of planned Fourth of July celebrations are being canceled, or postponed, including those in Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado’s District 14.
Independence Day events in Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and Northeast Los Angeles are being postponed, according to the Boyle Heights Beat website.
Jurado postponed events sponsored by her district after meeting with neighborhood councils and other stakeholders, said Alejandra Alarcon, spokeswoman of Jurado – the first Filipino American elected to the LA City Council.
“We’re responding to the crisis with the presence of federal agents in the community,” Alarcon told the media outlet.
You may like: Filipinos in Hawaii urged to get US citizenship amid ICE crackdown
In canceling its 66th Annual Independence Day Parade, the El Sereno Bicentennial Committee noted that “our participation is usually robust with over 1,200 people marching in the parade.”
“The people who participate in the parade are some of the most patriotic people you would meet. They believe in the promise of this land, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.,” according to the committee.
“This year we will have to cancel our celebrations. We stand with our community. The safety of our participants, spectators and volunteers is at the forefront.”
Los Angeles County’s Gloria Molina Grand Park Summer Block Party has also been postponed.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing events across LA County, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Summer Block Party,” an update on the event’s Instagram page stated.
Meanwhile in Culver City, elected officials and community members plan to gather on Sunday to hold a rally and fundraiser for a popular street vendor who was “reportedly taken near Resurrection Church by a masked individual driving an unmarked SUV,” organizers said.
“His mcart was left behind, and he was later confirmed to be in ICE custody under inhumane conditions: denied food, exposed to extreme cold, and restricted from visitation.”
Community leaders said the vendor, Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano, has been a “beloved Culver City street vendor” who has sold paletas in the community for more than 20 years.
“Enrique’s disappearance has shaken the Culver City community,” officials said. “Known for his warmth and generosity, Enrique would often give away paletas to those in need. This event is a call to action — demanding transparency, compassion, and his immediate release.”
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis plans to introduce a motion “directing county counsel to explore potential legal action against unconstitutional immigration enforcement practices, including illegal search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution.”
Southland officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the tactics used by federal immigration officials and questioned the legality of ongoing raids in Los Angeles County.
You may like: California leaders slam ICE for ‘questionable’ tactics
Solis’ motion addresses actions such as stopping, questioning, or detaining individuals without reasonable suspicion and arresting people without probable cause or a valid warrant.
Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores slammed federal agents for blowing off the door of a home in that city early Friday to search for a man suspected of ramming a federal vehicle during immigration raids last week in the Bell/Maywood area.
Suspect Jorge Sierra-Hernandez was not home at the time, but his girlfriend and two young children were left shaken by the violent tactics. Sierra-Hernandez later turned himself in and was free on bail, according to multiple reports.
“What happened here this morning is hard to put into words,” Flores told ABC7. “This family did nothing wrong. They were involved in a minor traffic accident and this is the level of violence and the response that we get.”
Local officials have also assailed the practice of federal agents wearing masks, traveling in often-unmarked vehicles and making arrests without showing identification or producing warrants. (With CNS report)
