The City of Kenner has canceled its annual Hispanic Heritage Festival three months ahead of the event, saying that sponsors and vendors who normally participate in the event decided to pull out this year.
The cancellation comes as fears grow over the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has led to raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and arrests near courthouses, workplaces and other areas of mass gatherings.
WVUE-TV reported that Valerie Kawas, an event organizer and Kenner Cultural Coordinator, said organizers didn’t “want to put the community at risk.”
Kenner city spokesperson Valerie Brolin said the event didn’t have the support from sponsors, vendors or performers necessary to move forward.
“Whether indirectly the reason is because of concerns regarding ICE, that’s not really a component that the city is going to get involved with,” Brolin said.
The fourth annual Kenner Hispanic Heritage Festival was originally scheduled for Sept. 13.
Last year the event was in Kenner’s Laketown, and featured live music, arts and food vendors, and health screenings. Sponsors included large health, energy and waste companies as well as smaller local companies. Attempts to contact those companies were not successful Thursday.
Brolin declined to identify sponsors who pulled out of the event.
Que Pasa Fest, a Metairie festival celebrating Latin American food and culture, will still take place this year on Oct. 11-12, according to Brenda Melara, board member of the Cervantes Hispanic American Arts Foundation, which organizes that event.
Roughly 30% of Kenner’s population identifies as Hispanic.
ICE agents have recently raided a New Orleans construction site for a city flooding project and a Baton Rouge massage parlor.
