Edgar Ochoa, director of community engagement for Mexican Heritage Plaza, said the federal government\u2019s anti-immigration and enforcement policy<\/a> and increased ICE activity in the state<\/a> can\u2019t be ignored.<\/p>\n We actually gathered as a team to discuss, \u2018Hey, what does this look like?\u2019\u201d Ochoa told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe\u2019re literally known as a Mexican Heritage Plaza. We know that we serve a large immigrant community, not only Mexicans, Latin Americans and even Asian Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n Mexican Heritage Plaza has coordinated with the Rapid Response Network<\/a> since last year to have trained responders at events, Ochoa said. The network was present at the plaza\u2019s events last year and provided training to staff on how to respond if immigration officers appeared.<\/p>\n The training included a practice exercise in which participants from Amigos de Guadalupe posed as immigration agents, including covering their faces, to help staff practice how to respond.<\/p>\n The plaza also established communication procedures for staff, including walkie-talkies and a Slack channel, so team members can document incidents and communicate with leadership if something happens.<\/p>\n Jacklyn Alonzo Heredia, who coordinates event support for the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, said services vary depending on the size and needs of a gathering. For large cultural events, the network generally combines visits from responders with patrols and readiness to act as legal observers. Organizers can contact the network directly or through email<\/a>\u00a0to request support. The network evaluates requests based on its capacity, and the two-week notice allows coordinators time to arrange coverage.<\/p>\n Huy Tran, executive director of Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), which is part of the Rapid Response Network, said the organization is reviewing emergency response plans amid reports of immigration enforcement activity elsewhere in California. To date, Tran said SIREN had not received indications that the activity had reached the Bay Area.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Rapid Response Network, though, is preparing, we\u2019re going through our emergency response plans,\u201d Tran told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.\u201dWe have kind of already given the responders a heads up to be extra alert for any calls that may come through.\u201d<\/p>\n Avenida de Altares is celebrating its 10th year, and Ochoa said about 5,500 people attended last year\u2019s event. The festivities span three blocks along Alum Rock Avenue, from the Mexican Heritage Plaza west to Highway 101. It include nearly 40 altars inside and outside the plaza, along with performances, food, retail vendors, art workshops and family activities.<\/p>\n The altars vary in style. Some are traditional displays commemorating people who have died, often with photographs, food and personal belongings. Others are artistic interpretations created by local artists.<\/p>\n Ochoa, who grew up in San Jose with parents who emigrated from Mexico, said the altars offer a way for people to remember those who have died and maintain a connection with them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a commemoration, like celebration of life, and then connection,\u201d Ochoa said. \u201cWithin that, people still have opportunities to have folks and invite them back, whether they\u2019re direct, close family members or ancestors from deep in the past, that maybe they don\u2019t even know.\u201d<\/p>\n In South County, La Casa de Cultura y Arte is hosting its fourth annual La Ofrenda Festival<\/a> Saturday in downtown Gilroy, a free event sponsored by the Gilroy Foundation. Last year 8,000 people attended, according to Festival Director Ruben Dario Villa.<\/p>\n He said various ICE OUT of Gilroy Coalition and the Rapid Response Network members will be present to provide support during the festivities. Last year, the event implemented a coordinated safety protocol involving a network of public agencies and grassroots coalitions, including protocols for potential immigration enforcement activity, which will continue this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize the uncertainty many families are experiencing, but we remain prepared and confident in the strength of our public and private partnerships to support the safety and well-being of our community,\u201d Dario Villa told San Jose Spotlight.<\/p>\n While mass immigration enforcement actions like past federal deployments in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Minnesota haven\u2019t occurred in Santa Clara County, the region is one of the most impacted areas for targeted ICE operations<\/a>, according to SIREN. Fears of ICE have\u00a0kept students from attending class<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0slowed foot traffic at Latino-owned businesses<\/a>. Some undocumented county residents have chosen to self-deport<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fears are especially palpable in Gilroy<\/a>, where an ICE facility is planned just east of city limits. A federal judge in September granted a\u00a0preliminary injunction<\/a>\u00a0blocking construction on the facility as the larger legal battle plays out.<\/p>\n Dario Villa said La Casa de Clutura y Arte has been intentional in its approach, building a broad network of support that prioritizes preparedness, coordination and discretion to address potential concerns without creating unnecessary fear.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the current climate, we\u2019re not operating out of fear,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked closely with the city of Gilroy, Gilroy Fire Department, Gilroy Police Department, private EMT and security providers and a broad network of community organizations and grassroots coalitions to prepare for a safe and beautiful celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in San Jose, Tran said the Rapid Response Network had received calls about social media posts and AI-generated images that portrayed enforcement activity elsewhere in California as if it were happening locally.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single time, there\u2019s something happening in some part of the state. Our phones light up because people get scared,\u201d Tran said. \u201cAnd they start thinking that they\u2019re seeing it happen here or they\u2019re recording whatever they see on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a> or @CasasPerezRed on X. Contact Giovanni Albanese Jr. at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dozens of altars honoring loved ones who have died will return to Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[712,187,14,88,90,89],"class_list":["post-505615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-centerpiece","tag-gilroy","tag-immigration","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LaOfrendaFest25_AK-292-1-1024x683.jpg\")
La Casa de Cultura y Arte is hosting its fourth annual La Ofrenda Festival in downtown Gilroy on Saturday, Oct. 24. Photo courtesy of Alex Knowbody.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792779614_645_interactive-321838904008.png\")
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