For 40-year-old Cecilia Romero, the days before and after Halloween are not just any other holiday. It’s a time of year where she can take her kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood she’s from and a connection to her past when she would go to celebrate when she was little.
She remembers years of streets filled with families and children, with street vendors selling food and cempasúchil, the marigolds that relatives place on altars for the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, Nov. 1-2.
But this year, things are much, much different, thanks to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have been taking place in and around Chicago since early September.
“Obviously, it’s because of ICE,” Romero said. Referring to how Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker unsuccessfully asked the Trump administration to halt immigration enforcement operations for the Halloween weekend, which began Friday, she added: “I think people are just scared. It’s sad that kids aren’t being allowed to have fun on a day when they should be. [kids].
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In Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, Halloween, All Saints’ Day on November 1st. and Día de los Muertos together play an important role in bringing the community together to celebrate, mourn and pray as a whole. This year, with ICE enforcement and raids, the festivities were much quieter. At any given time last year, the corridors of Pilsen’s 18th Street and Little Village’s 26th Street were packed with people. Those same corridors were much emptier in the wee hours, marking the start of the Halloween weekend on Friday.
Prior to Pritzker’s request to allow families to celebrate Halloween, federal agents on Oct. 25 Pepper spray has been deployed in Old Irving Park following an incident that caused the Halloween parade to be canceled. On Friday, ICE operations in Evanston got out of hand, according to neighbors, near Chute High School. According to NBC 5 Chicago, federal agents used pepper spray and arrested three US citizens on charges of “violence against law enforcement.”
Marco DeSantiago, 49, grew up on the South Side of Chicago, but has been taking his kids to Pilsen for Halloween for the past 12 years. And he said the change in the tone of the fun this time around was impressive.
“I think the big difference this year is that you can just feel it [the] Sadness,” DeSantiago said. – This is gloom, we feel it personally, I just saw it [it] in people’s faces. This is not a joyous occasion.
“You’re doing it to keep it going for the kids, but I think everyone’s feeling pretty sad and upset.”
He said last year more businesses and people had their doors open to trick-or-treaters, with more street vendors on the streets and a more fun and festive atmosphere.
Instead, it felt more like a celebratory occasion, he said, adding, “It’s definitely a different feeling.”
In the nearby football fields belonging to the Catholic Church and St. For the Procopius School, the annual Día de los Muertos celebration featured the usual elaborately decorated altars with photos of deceased loved ones. Tributes included favorite snacks and their associated items, including roses or pouches, even pond face cream and the iconic orange marigolds, in some cases replaced with a plastic alternative, as well as votive candles, decorated skulls, as well as numerous images of the Virgin Mary.
However, for those who did come, attendance was clearly lower than usual.
“It would be packed from the afternoon until the end, like there would be people coming in and out, so you’d definitely see a change or a shift, but I don’t think it’s related to [lack of] motivation or love for the holiday, said Isabel Hernández, 27, sitting at an elaborate altar for her grandmother, Lorenza Hernández. “I think it’s more of a fear of … what’s happening in the city, in the countryside.”
Hernández feels especially sad for people who may be grieving a recent loss but may not feel comfortable or safe enough to celebrate with others or follow traditions because of ICE raids.
“I don’t think grief ever just goes away, but I think you just have to heal with time … or be able to control it,” she said. “I can’t even imagine for those who have just recently lost … what they go through when people celebrate and then they can’t celebrate with others. I think it’s really hard.”
Hernández’s mother, Cecilia, said it was important for her and her loved ones to continue their traditional celebrations despite the lingering sadness.
“One of the questions was, ‘Should we have this event?'” said Cecilia, 52. “Personally, I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s get it,’ because we don’t want what’s happening with ICE.” [to] take it away from us.”
For Romero, she just wants to keep celebrating like before. “We hope ICE will go away,” she said. “We don’t want them here. We don’t need them here. You know, our city — and I think our country — is doing pretty well without them coming.”