Another cultural event in the Seattle area has been canceled due to concerns over heightened immigration enforcement actions.
The Pacific Northwest Folklorico Festival that began in Burien in 2022, which highlights the dance art form deeply rooted in Mexican history, won't happen this year. Joyas Mestizas, a nonprofit based in Burien that puts on the event, announced the cancellation earlier this month in a post on social media.
"We are angry at the ICE raids and racist immigration policies that tear families apart, and in canceling our event we commit to prioritizing the safety of our community," the post read.
There were other factors that went into cancelling the festival that was scheduled for Saturday. Organizers told KNKX that they considered scaling down the festival, but that the risk and potential trauma associated with that risk was too great.
Luna Garcia, a co-director of Joyas Mestizas, said the nonprofit created a pros and cons list to decide whether to move forward with the celebration. She said atop the pros' list was that the festival is a joyful expression that pushes back against stereotypes.
"That was the big pro, was that in times like this, it feels like fear and cruelty is the point. And so that when we still show up, it feels like resistance. Right?" Garcia said. "And so not holding the festival felt like a betrayal of that, I think. But the cons about everyone's safety, that was the big thing. It was like, 'yes, but can we really justify putting people in danger?'"
This year, 10 folklorico groups, including groups with children, signed up to perform at the festival. Some of them would have had to travel from neighboring states or across the Cascades for the event.
Garcia said the nonprofit had considered allowing dancers to opt out of performances they had previously committed to. But, she said, there were concerns that some might not feel comfortable doing that.
"Parents, especially in our community, will go to great lengths for their kids," Garcia said. "Making sure that if their dancer wants to dance — even if they think maybe they might be in danger or they might feel anxiety around it — they're going to push through for their kids."
She said the nonprofit made the decision to cancel the event to take that pressure off individuals.
DeLeana Guerrero, co-director of Joyas Mestizas, said planning for the festival started earlier this year and "what if" conversations around immigration enforcement had been part of the process. She said the nonprofit held out as long as it could before making a decision.
"It took a really long, hard conversation with our board of directors who assist with planning the folklorico festival," Guerrero said. "Along with just real life experiences and stories in our community. This wasn't just something that you see in the media — this is really, truly affecting people closest to us: in our families, in our community."
She said they considered other options like hiring security. Then they explored what the nonprofit could or couldn't do in different scenarios.
"One of the things that really got brought up in our meeting was the trauma — even if we could have somebody there to protect and secure the area," she said. "If something were to happen, the trauma that could be inflicted in our children, in our youth, in our community — just witnessing in person what's going on. That was a heartbreaking thought to have."
The Pacific Northwest Folklorico Festival isn't the first in the region to cancel an event this year due to concerns over immigration enforcement actions.
In June, organizers for the Duwamish River Festival canceled the event set for August 9 "due to current political climate and safety." Also last month in Central Oregon, three separate organizers announced Latino Fest, Juneteenth and Latinx Fiesta Celebración would not happen due to safety concerns.
