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SAN FRANCISCO – Isa Gomez' biggest worry this time of year is usually whether rain will ruin her favorite festival: San Francisco's annual lowrider parade.
But as she captured photos and cheered on the colorful cavalcade of Buicks, Cadillacs and Chevys cruising ‒ or rather bouncing up and down Mission Street recently ‒ Gomez wasn't looking to the heavens. Instead, she was keeping a watchful eye out for federal immigration agents.
She didn't see any.
The threat of immigration crackdowns triggered cancelations and scaling down of events around the country during the ongoing Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month. But San Francisco's late September "King of the Streets: Cruise with a Purpose" event went on as usual.
There weren't even signs at the parade protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, said Gomez, 33, though she was wearing an anti-ICE t-shirt that made her own opinion clear.
"We feel like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it’s great to come out and celebrate," Gomez said.
Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month
Since 1968, the country has celebrated Hispanic and Latin American heritage, first for a week, and now for a month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
The national event celebrates the culture of people with Spanish heritage, including those whose ancestors hail from Mexico, Spain, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. More than 68 million Americans ‒ roughly one in five ‒ identify as ethnically Hispanic, according to the 2024 Census.
California, where 40% of the population is Latino, has been a target of President Trump's immigration crackdown. Those raids have targeted this fast-growing group more than any other.
But other cities have also been targeted for immigration raids and many Latino communities have muted their Heritage Month celebrations or canceled them entirely.
Organizers of September's annual El Grito festival in downtown Chicago decided to postpone their weekend celebration due to Trump's vows of an immigration crackdown in the city. "It was a painful decision, but holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake – and that’s a risk we are unwilling to take," the festival's website reported.
Both Milwaukee and Sacramento, California, canceled their annual celebrations of Mexican Indepedence Day.
And the Hispanic Heritage Festival of the Carolinas, the Hispanic Heritage Fest in Kenner, Louisiana, and the annual FIESTA celebration in Indianapolis were all called off, too.
Lowrider parade celebrates Hispanic culture and more
The cancelations weighed on Roberto Hernandez, the president of the four-decade-old San Francisco Lowrider Council and organizer of the lowrider parade. What happened elsewhere affirmed his resolve to make sure San Francisco's event was well-organized ‒ from the more than 500 lowriders, or "moving masterpieces," in the parade, to ensuring there were enough police and legal rights group attorneys available.
Given the heightened political climate and rhetoric, the parade was more than a celebration of culture, noted Natalia Molina, an American Studies professor at the University of Southern California.
"It’s also a powerful reminder that Latinos are U.S. citizens with civil rights. By cruising, they’re not just honoring our heritage, they’re exercising and affirming the rights we all strive to protect," said Molina, also author of the book, A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community. "When I have seen so many events cancelled, and ‒arguably worse ‒ watered down, it warms my heart to hear this joyful event is going forward."
Hernandez agrees.
"I really felt more than ever before that we needed to do this. We live in a beautiful country built on democracy,” said Hernandez three days before the parade. "We’re encouraging people to bring your flags and your cultural awareness. Be proud of who you are and come enjoy the show."
Hernandez, a longtime San Francisco community leader who volunteered with renowned labor movement leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, recalled getting emails from other organizers across America as they debated their heritage month plans.
"I’m telling them to do it," Hernandez said. "Don’t be scared, don’t be afraid."
Heritage month events are not just about celebrating culture, said Molina, the USC professor. They're also about education.
"These are opportunities where people could learn about Latino history, civil rights, and social movements," Molina said. "When we reach a point in this country where education is seen as a threat, that’s a threat to all of us. When knowledge itself becomes something to fear, we’re facing a much deeper danger as a nation."
San Francisco has been one of Trump's targets
In late August, Trump mentioned San Francisco as one of the US cities where he wanted to send the National Guard. Trump claimed Democrats had "destroyed" the city and that he would "clean it up" with federal troops. A month later, Trump threatened to move next year's World Cup matches out of cities, including San Francisco, if he deemed them unsafe, although it doesn't appear he can do that with such relatively little notice.
San Francisco, a sanctuary city that prevents city police and staff from assisting in federal immigration enforcement unless required by state or federal law, saw clashes this summer between protesters and ICE agents.
The San Francisco police recently sent a memo to officers to neither help nor prevent ICE agents from making immigration arrests, and to only take action when "necessary to safeguard life and property."
During the parade, San Francisco police and rapid transit officers maintained a relatively low profile, except when they had to keep traffic moving with the bouncing cars (some as high as 10 feet), and ensure onlookers taking photos or videos didn't get hit.
'Able to breathe for a bit'
San Francisco native Cesar Hernandez, 41, came to the parade to show off his 1952 Buick Super Black four-door, which he plans to give to his 16-year-old daughter, Celina Hernandez.
The teen, who just got her permit, posed for pictures and told anybody within earshot the car would be hers ‒ someday.
"She asked me, 'Dad, does that mean I can drive it tomorrow?'" Cesar Hernandez said. "I laughed and told her, "Not yet, baby.'"
A nonprofit youth worker, Hernandez said the parade, from the cars to the live mariachi and banda music, was a welcome relief.
"This is a moment for everyone to be able to breathe for a bit," Hernandez said. "Where you don't have to worry about your daily stresses."
Kevin Carreon, 54, a member of the Low Creations Car Club, one of the oldest of its kind in San Francisco, said he was amazed by the parade's turnout. Carreon and his girlfriend, Daisy Sanchez, 51, watched the festivities and fielded requests by passersby to take a photo of themselves with his shiny cream-colored 1963 Buick Riviera.
"It’s good to see so many people come out from all types, Hispanic, Black, White, Asian, and show what rides they have," said Carreon, who has spent nearly $8,000 upgrading his car over the years. "This looks like America to me, man."
The fun outweighed any fears of immigration crackdowns, said the couple, both citizens.
"I mean, look at this, this is one big family affair," said Sanchez, bobbing her head. "I see so many smiling faces, a lot of happiness. We need this. We shouldn’t be afraid."
As Roberto Hernandez, the president of the lowrider council, made his way down Mission Street, he was mobbed by attendees. Some hugged and kissed him, thanking him for not canceling the parade.
"At one point, it really brought so much joy to me that it almost moved me to tears, right on the spot, smiling, dancing, having a good time because I feel there is a war against us," Hernandez said. "For them to have the courage to come out, it really meant the world to me."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Immigration raids loomed, but for these revelers there was no rain on their parade
Reporting by Terry Collins, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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