A decades-running holiday parade in California’s wealthy “American Riviera” city of Santa Barbara was cancelled this year over fears of ICE immigration raids targeting participants.
The famous beachy city’s Milpas Street Holiday Parade, slated for Dec. 13, was axed when some of its planned dancers, bands and others expressed fears they might be targeted by President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, event organizers said.
“Although ICE raids may no longer dominate daily headlines, the threat to our Latino families, documented or undocumented, remains very real,” the Santa Barbara Eastside Society said in a statement, citing “weeks” of discussion.
The Milpas Street Holiday Parade had been held annually for 70 years in Santa Barbara, Calif. MIlpas Community Association Facebook
“The presence of immigration enforcement in our region, the fear it generates, and the uncertainty families continue to face are real, immediate, and deeply felt,” the group said.
The Milpas Street Holiday Parade has run for 70 years, with the area’s Hispanic heritage typically front and center in the performances, food, music and themes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But Trump’s ICE raids have reportedly left Santa Barbara’s Latin community on edge.
“Many longtime participants have shared that the level of fear and vulnerability they are experiencing makes joining a large public event feel unsafe,” Eastside Society said.
Event organizers say they hope the parade will go off without a hitch in 2026. MIlpas Community Association Facebook
Trump’s ICE raids have commanded headlines across the country since he took office in January, with federal immigration agents often arriving in communities and taking people suspected of illegal immigration from their workplaces, homes or off the streets in broad daylight.
The holiday parade is just the latest event cancelled in Santa Barbara over the raids.
The local Dia De Los Muertos parade was nixed in November for the same fears, as were parts of its Old Spanish Days Fiesta over the summer, according to KTLA.
This year’s winter holiday parade cancellation is only temporary, though, the Eastside Society, saying it hopes to run it again in 2026.
“Our priority is, and has always been, the wellbeing, dignity, and safety of our community,” the group said.