Immigration Raids Lead to More Summer Event Cancellations, But Rose Bowl Show Carries On

With the Fourth of July just three days away, more venues are deciding to cancel or postpone planned celebrations as immigration enforcement efforts continue to upend the region — but not in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl, which plans dramatic drone entertainment and a food-centered Foodieland event.

In Huntington Park, the decision goes beyond the Friday holiday and includes a 30-day pause on “certain public summer events” including summer movie nights.

“This decision follows growing disruptions caused by increased ICE activity in the region,” a city statement said. “Reports of unmarked vehicles and unidentified federal agents have created widespread anxiety, particularly among immigrant and mixed-status families.

“Many residents have expressed fear and uncertainty, leading them to remain indoors, refrain from work, and withdraw from daily public life. Our priority is and will continue to be the safety and peace of mind of our community.”

Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores has been an outspoken critic of immigration raids in his city and slammed federal agents for blowing off the door of a home there early Friday to search for a man suspected of ramming a federal vehicle during immigration raids in the Bell/Maywood area.

The city of Whittier is canceling its 4th of July Freedom Walk, which was originally scheduled for Friday morning at Palm Park. But the city’s evening 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular at York Field will go ahead as scheduled.

“While celebrating our nation’s founding is very important to me and to Whittier residents, my colleagues and I also want to be sensitive to the recent feedback we’ve received from some community members asking that we pause this year’s Freedom Walk event,” Whittier Mayor Joe Vinatieri said.

The big Summer Block Party at Gloria Molina Grand Park, which drew more than 20,000 people in 2024, has been postponed indefinitely.

The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation is also postponing summer movies and concerts at Schabarum Park in Rowland Heights, 17250 Colima Road, until further notice,

Other events in majority-Hispanic communities have also been scrapped or delayed including in Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and Northeast Los Angeles.

In canceling its 66th Annual Independence Day Parade, the El Sereno Bicentennial Committee noted that “our participation is usually robust with over 1,200 people marching in the parade. The people who participate in the parade are some of the most patriotic people you would meet. They believe in the promise of this land, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“This year we will have to cancel our celebrations. We stand with our community. The safety of our participants, spectators, and volunteers is at the forefront.”

Meanwhile, the legal battle over the federal raids in the Southland continues to escalate.

The Trump administration on Monday sued the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council over L.A.’s so-called “sanctuary city” policies, alleging in federal court that the ordinance violates the Constitution by “thwarting” immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit contends that the sanctuary laws — in which local law enforcement officials refuse to assist immigration enforcement efforts — are illegal, and expressly designed to “obstruct the federal government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe.”

The filing in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles seeks to have Los Angeles’ policies declared invalid based on the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which “prohibits the city and its officials from obstructing the federal government’s ability to enforce laws that Congress has enacted or to take actions entrusted to it by the Constitution,” the suit states.

Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, said the lawsuit “holds the city of Los Angeles accountable for deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law.”

“The United States Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prohibits the city from picking and choosing which federal laws will be enforced and which will not,” Essayli said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis plans to introduce a motion “directing county counsel to explore potential legal action against unconstitutional immigration enforcement practices, including illegal search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

Solis particularly criticized the recent arrest of a man in unincorporated Valinda, which borders the city of La Puente, claiming videos by witnesses show the man bleeding while being detained.

Southland officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the tactics used by federal immigration officials and questioned the legality of ongoing raids in Los Angeles County.

Solis’ motion addresses actions such as stopping, questioning, or detaining individuals without reasonable suspicion and arresting people without probable cause or a valid warrant.

“The county may initiate or join existing legal actions to hold federal agencies accountable and safeguard the constitutional rights of all community members,” Solis said.

Federal officials have defended agents’ efforts to maintain anonymity during immigration operations, saying it is essential to maintain their safety from protesters who could publicize their names and other information, potentially endangering their lives and their families.