Raíces y Resistencia: Honoring Our Past, Defending Our Future

Celebrating Latino Hispanic Heritage Month While Defending Our Right to Gather, Celebrate, and Exist Safely.

Music: Presente Estoy - Trío Guadalevín

The Reality in 2025: What’s Different This Year?

Since the January 20, 2025, inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, Latino communities across Washington State and the nation have experienced a sharp escalation in the suppression, postponement, cancellation, or forced modification of cultural events and public celebrations.

“We are not in a time of celebration. We can’t celebrate when we know that our kids are being left without parents, that we are living in absolute fear every single day, and we continue to be targeted”

— Community Leader/Organizer

“We just don’t feel like it’s safe right now to hold [Latino Hispanic festivals/Celebrations] because we are being targeted right now...”

— -Community Leader/Organizer

“13% of immigrants, including one in five here legally, say they or a family member have limited their participation in at least one day-to-day activity,”

Source: KFF Survey of Immigrants

What was once a vibrant calendar of community-led festivals, parades, and gatherings, including during Latino Hispanic Heritage Month, has increasingly come under threat due to the administration’s intensified immigration enforcement policies and the growing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in public and civic spaces.

From school performances and neighborhood festivals to traditional parades and regional heritage celebrations, Latino communities have been left to navigate a climate of fear and uncertainty. Organizers report widespread community hesitation to attend events, artists are pulling out of public engagements, and elders and families are choosing to celebrate in private rather than risk visibility.

This environment has not only stifled cultural expression but has directly undermined public safety, civic trust, and the right to peaceful assembly. In Washington State, multiple organizations including CHA partners, youth groups, and advocacy networks have raised alarms about federal immigration tactics that disproportionately impact Latinos, often without due cause or transparent justification.

What should be a season of pride and celebration has instead become a time of caution, risk calculation, and silent resistance.

Articles for further reading:

Celebrating in the Shadows

Select community events proceeding with added safety protocols or relocated to safer spaces:

Latinos en Spokane events: This year, due to rising immigration enforcement and safety concerns, we’re moving these celebrations into El Mercadito a smaller, community-led space where traditions can thrive in a safe, welcoming environment. This shift also lets us direct more resources to programs that provide direct support and long-term impact for the families we serve. Join us in honoring our heritage, building unity, and keeping our community safe and strong.
September 8-October 13, 2025 - MEXAM NW Festival (Seattle, WA) is an exhilarating multi-event, multi-venue festival that spotlights the vibrant tapestry of contemporary Hispanic and Mexican-American culture.
September 27, 2025 - The UMANI Festival (Moses Lake, WA) is a major community-wide collaboration between individuals and many of the largest cultural institutions in our Moses Lake area.
September 27, 2025 - Lula Fest (Olympia, WA), a free community festival, from 1-8pm at the Historic Capitol Theater. This vibrant cultural festival will feature a dynamic lineup of live music.
October 18th, 2025 - Luminarias Dia De Muertos (Vancouver, WA), Luminarias Dia de Muertos honors those who have passed on through dance, music, and a celebration of life at Esther Short Park.

More events will be listed as they are announced.

Select events Canceled due to the current political environment, Immigration and Customs Enformcement (ICE), Customs and Border Ppatrol (CBP) presence.

FeatureD Story: Pacific Northwest Folklórico Festival Canceled Over Immigration Enforcement Concerns.

Joyas Mestizas, a nonprofit that organizes the Pacific Northwest Folklórico Festival in Burien, canceled this year’s event. The decision was made after deep consideration of the risks associated with heightened immigration enforcement and the trauma that could result if something went wrong. Luna Garcia, co-director of the nonprofit, reflected that while celebration is crucial as an act of resistance, community safety had to take priority. Read More

Community Voices: Stories From Our Gente

Featured Testimonies

Festál – Fiestas Patrias at Seattle Center
Seattle’s Festál series, including the highly anticipated Fiestas Patrias, continues to bring thousands of people together in celebration, even under the shadow of immigration enforcement. These gatherings serve as profound acts of cultural resilience and affirmation for Latino families.
Source:Seattle Center Festál
THING NW Festival Cancels Latinx Day
The Seattle-based THING NW Festival canceled its Latinx musical performance lineup due to widespread safety concerns. Organizers expressed that with so much fear surrounding immigration enforcement, the event could not guarantee the sense of security the community deserved.
Source: KING 5
Spokane's “Safe & Welcome” Ordinance Emboldens Future Celebration
After the cancellation of the Tacos y Tequila Festival in Spokane, which was called off due to heightened fear over immigration enforcement, the city passed a landmark ordinance, “Safe and Welcome in Spokane”, protecting public events on city property from warrantless ICE interventions. Community organizers express that this law provides hope and renewed courage, setting the stage for safer, visible celebrations of Latino culture moving forward.
Sources: spokanepublicradio.org, The Spokesman-Review
Fear Reshapes Daily Life for Washington Latinos
A Cascade PBS feature documents the daily emotional toll on immigrants across Washington highlighting that 1 in 3 experience anxiety, disrupted sleep, or stress tied to immigration enforcement. As a result, many have limited their participation in daily routines, community gatherings, or even essential services out of fear.
Source: Cascade PBS