Philadelphia Cinco de Mayo carnival cancelled amid immigration crackdown fears

The event normally attracts up to 15,000 people

The event normally attracts up to 15,000 people (Visit Philadelphia)

A popular Cinco de Mayo celebration in Philadelphia has been cancelled amid fear of immigration raids.

The Carnaval de Puebla en Philadelphia annually draws some 15,000 attendees to its colourful combination of vendors, music and performances. Organisers told Al Dia that 60 percent of participants come from other cities, and some from as far as Mexico. Now, organisers fear it could become a target for agents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“The safety and welfare of our fellow carnival people and their families is very important to [our organisation,]” the group wrote on Facebook. “Getting to Philadelphia requires travelling from several cities of the region. We know that everything is uncertain, [and] we don't want them to run the risk.”

This fear, organisers say, stems from Trump administration crackdowns on immigration. The Department of Homeland Security recently released new guidelines for border control agencies that expand the range of people who can be targeted for deportation. Philly.com reported almost 200 undocumented immigrants were arrested in Pennsylvania in the last month alone. Several arrests occurred outside a local criminal court, and one inside a neighbourhood corner store.

“We know pretty much that ICE is driving around,” organiser David Pina told a local ABC affiliate. “The fear is the people come from other cities, come to participate here and maybe on the way they get stopped, and they ask for any legal papers and they don't have them.”

ICE spokespeople told CNN that the Carnaval organisers have no cause for concern, and that the organisation does not conduct “sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately".

But Alicia Kerber-Palma, Mexico's consul general in Philadelphia, called the organisers’ fear “logical” in the face of growing anti-immigrant sentiments. She had been working with the group to bring in performers from the Mexican city of Puebla.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney told NBC 10 he was “devastated” that ICE activity had made residents too fearful to celebrate. Organisers, however, promised the celebration would be back next year.

“We are sure that [next year] will be a great celebration as has always been,” they wrote on Facebook. “Today we just want solidarity, because together we will come through these uncertain times.”