Fears surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement have led to the cancellation of a large annual festival in Maryland celebrating the people and culture of El Salvador.
This year's Salvadoreñisimo Festival was set to take place in Gaithersburg in September at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds. It was supposed to be filled with music, food and thousands of people.
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WATCH HEREFredy Díaz, the event organizer, confirmed to Telemundo 44 that the 20th edition of the beloved celebration was canceled because organizers didn’t want to expose the community to possible encounters with ICE.
For years, thousands of families gathered at the festival to celebrate El Salvador’s Independence Day. The Telemundo44 team has been to the festival on multiple occasions.
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SIGN UP Residents who were planning to attend and assist said the cancellation is a big disappointment.
The D.C. area has one of the biggest Salvadoran populations in the U.S.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich reacted to the cancellation.
“I think it’s really sad,” he said. “The fact that we’re not doing it because people are afraid to come out. It’s just sad commentary in America.”
“The county will continue to be a trusted resource, and you can get information from us,” Elrich continued. “We work with a lot of community organizations. People. Have always been able to access us.”
The festival isn't the only event being canceled because of fears surrounding ICE. Organizers of the Megamart Cup, a soccer tournament that, according to its organizer, brings together the best teams in the DMV, also decided to take a pause.
For now, organizers of both events say the safety and well-being of the community come first. They said they hope to bring back the festival next year.
