Due to the climate and immigration concerns in the Chicagoland area, organizers of the Wauconda Latin Heritage Fest have cancelled the event.
The cancellation was announced Friday via the Wauconda Police Department Facebook page. It is attributed to the Village of Wauconda, Wauconda Police Department, and Transfiguration Church in Wauconda.
The event was scheduled to take place Saturday, officials said.
“Given the recent climate and concerns in our area related to immigration, the Village of Wauconda, Wauconda Police Department, and Transfiguration Church have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Latin Heritage Fest,” the Facebook post reads. “We know how meaningful this event is for our community, and the choice was not made lightly by the committee. Our goal is always to ensure that everyone feels safe, respected, and welcome in Wauconda.”
The organizers added, “We remain committed to honoring the diversity that makes our community strong, and we look forward to future opportunities to celebrate together. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
This cancellation comes on the heels of the Fiestas Patrias Parade being postponed in North Chicago and Waukegan. That group announced on Wednesday that they were delaying the parade scheduled for September 14 due to potential immigration operations.
The organization stated that hosting the parade poses risks to families and vulnerable community members.
“It was also considered that this situation could be interpreted as a potential call to immigration authorities since thousands of attendees were expected and the large numbers would be eye-catching,” the committee said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are expected to begin “unprecedented federal operations” out of Naval Station Great Lakes as part of President Donald Trump’s enhanced immigration operations in the Chicago area.