By Luis Angel Perez-Martinez
Sunset Park hosted a Mexican Day parade on Sunday, September 14th, to allow the community to celebrate Mexican Independence Day despite fears over immigration crackdowns in New York City.
This event was one of several Mexican Independence Day celebrations occurring across New York City, with many other parades scheduled for September 21st.
The parade started at The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, a landmark in Sunset Park, and proceeded along 5th Avenue.
Sunset Park is known for its large and diverse Latino population, with a large percentage of residents being foreign-born.
Participants displayed their Mexican heritage in different ways, including Mexican flags on the hoods of cars and waved in the air. There was cultural attire such as masks, performances by dancers, and cosplayers.
DJs were also at the event and encouraged dancing to showcase Mexican culture.
A marcher held up a sign that said “Mexico and the president, we stand with you,” including a picture of the current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
This gathering occurred during a time when the community felt a need to unite and celebrate their culture. There are rising concerns within the Latino community, especially in areas such as Sunset Park, about President Donald Trump and his administration’s aggressive use of ICE (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on immigration enforcement, including deportations.
During the parade, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) distributed flyers titled “ICE Out of New York”, which addressed the immigration crackdown and advocated for its removal from New York, urging individuals to join their movement.
“When ICE does come to the neighborhood or knock on someone’s door, folks in the community come to that location and you know, scare ICE off, chase them out of the neighborhood, which has been successful not just in New York, but in LA and all throughout the country.” said Grant, a volunteer from PSL, who declined to give his last name.
Many people in the community are scared of going out. However, spectators do feel that it is still important to come out and support their country.
“It doesn’t really matter if they’re scared or not. They’re still going to come out and they’re still going to be out there, which I think is good. You know we shouldn’t be stopping because of fear,” said Antonio Meza, a parade spectator.