Many attendees said immigration enforcement was in the back of their minds but they didn’t allow that to stop them from celebrating.
Cultural festivals have been canceled across the U.S., but Christina Mendez, executive director of the Dayton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Dayton has been “adamant” about continuing the Hispanic Heritage Festival.
Karla Knox, PACO (Puerto Rican, American, and Caribbean Organization) president and parade chair, said they heard concerns from constituents about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the Dayton area, but they thought it was important to proceed with the festival.
“Our goal and our mission has always been to educate the Dayton community about the contributions of Hispanics, the fact that we’re here to contribute to make the community better, not take anything away,” Knox said.
PACO puts on the event each year and past festivals have been positive experiences — the festival is needed by the community, an emotional Knox said.
“There’s a lot of prayer involved that a situation like ICE doesn’t come here, but we’re just here to serve the community, and this event is a fundraiser and we just couldn’t see not doing it, because the money that we make from this goes back to scholarships for college students and that’s important,” Knox said.
The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month issued a decision allowing ICE agents in California to use race and language as factors in deciding whether to initiate enforcement actions. Advocates have raised concerns about racial and cultural profiling, saying that people may be arrested simply for speaking Spanish or appearing Latino.
Ohio has seen nearly double the number of ICE arrests in the first six month of the year compared to all of 2024, a recent Dayton Daily News analysis found. Many Daytonians have expressed concerns that the Trump administration is not only targeting immigrants here illegally who would be considered dangerous, but also innocent, hard-working people.
More than 26,000 immigrants live and work in Montgomery County, making up roughly 5% of the county’s overall population.
One woman, who declined to share her name due to immigration fears, said she felt at home at the festival. She enjoyed sharing her culture with others and learning more about other Hispanic cultures.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Ricardo Navas, co-owner of Zoom Multiservices, which provides a variety of document services to the Latino community, said Dayton is a city where many cultures feel welcomed, an experience he recognized is not universal elsewhere.
Navas said he is concerned about immigration enforcement in Dayton, with immigrants from Dayton being taken to the Butler County Jail for detention. He helps people, particularly single mothers, give powers of attorney to someone else to ensure they won’t be separated from their children.
“It’s just sad, so sad because it’s like they don’t care if they have kids or whatever,” Navas said of the immigration enforcement officials.
Jazline Gomez, president of the Dayton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the fear of being profiled is very present but that lessens with Dayton being certified as a welcoming city.
“I think that just stands on what it’s saying,” Gomez said. “We are welcoming and we try not to be part of hate. We try to be part of love.”
Some vendors, like Joy Garcia, of Chicago, came from elsewhere to the festival to sell items and share in the cultural exchange. He said he and others feel a unity in the Latino community.
“It’s always a very beautiful experience with many people especially Hispanics, Latinos, Puerto Ricans,” Garcia, who is originally from Puerto Rico, said in Spanish. “So I like to bring a little bit of culture to them and see their emotions, their expressions, to meet new people.”
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
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