Mexican Independence Day is next week, Sep. 16, and many groups across the Chicagoland are postponing or canceling their celebrations out of fear that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will show up. The City of Aurora made a different choice. Over the weekend, it celebrated… and WNIJ’s Yvonne Boose was there.
Music blared as spectators filled Wilder Park for Fiestas Patrias, Aurora’s celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
The path to the stage was surrounded by Mexican food trucks and vendors selling clothes, hats, and other accessories. The two-day celebration included bands playing Latino music and a parade on Sunday.
Several Aurora police officers walked the grounds.
Aurora’s population is about 42% Hispanic. Mayor John Laesch said he’s been in touch with state lawmakers, and the city decided to have the event because they didn’t see any immediate threat from ICE. Still, the crowd is smaller than usual.
“I think that people are being safer and perhaps staying home,” he said, “but I don't think there's any threat for people to be snatched from a Fiestas Patrias event.”
Claudia Urrutia is a member of the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board. She said there’s another reason attendance may be down. In the past, when they held the event at another, larger park, they had more space to bring in bands from other areas.
“We didn't get the large bands," she explained, "because if we bring one of those big bands that we're used to that draws, like, thousands of people, we don't have the space right now.”
Alma Velazquez was born and raised in Aurora. She said she attends Fiestas Patrias every year. She said it looks like the crowd is about half of what she’s used to seeing. She agrees that the fear of deportation kept a lot of people home but said ICE couldn’t deter everyone.
“And even the people that are performing," Valazquez said, "have said, ‘We're here, whether they're here or not. This is our community, and there are scare tactics.'”
George Gutierrez is one of the vendors. He said the community knows him by his nickname Chicano. He runs a business called Chicano’s Times, selling merchandise geared towards the Mexican culture. He said he’s heard people in the community talk about not coming out because of the fear of deportation.
“While I understand that [is] why people won't come out, I feel it's important for us to do these events anyway,” he added, “just show that, you know, we're here, that the culture is here, that we have a lot to contribute to United States of America.”
Urrutia said she loves both Mexico and America.
“I've been here for 30 years," she said. "My heart is already half and half. So, I will defend my Mexican flag. I will defend my American flag.”
