Long Beach has canceled this year’s Día de los Muertos Parade out of an “abundance of caution” related to community fears about possible federal immigration raids, officials said.
The decision to cancel the parade came at the request of Councilmember Mary Zendejas, who represents the First District, where the annual parade takes place.
“This decision did not come lightly,” Zendejas said in a Friday, Sept. 12, statement, “and was a result of concerns related to activities in the region being conducted by federal law enforcement.”
While the city is not aware of federal enforcement activity targeting the parade, officials said, the decision to cancel this year’s Day of the Dead event was made out of precaution and to address fears raised by community members, especially those who would be impacted by federal enforcement actions.
“This has been an event that I’ve looked forward to every year as mayor; it’s a beautiful event,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a Monday phone interview. “This is a month where we should be uplifting, celebrating and recognizing Hispanic heritage here in Long Beach and in America. But instead, our communities are in fear.”
ICE raids have been ongoing across Southern California since June, as federal immigration authorities ramped up operations across the country to fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations.
Administration officials say the operations have resulted in the arrest of many violent felons who have criminal convictions or pending charges, and that the increased enforcement is necessary to make the nation safe. But immigrant rights organizations say the raids have been targeting innocent working people or based on profiling, including day laborers and car wash workers.
“We’re taking every step to protect and defend our residents,” Richardson said. “Unfortunately, in this case, it means not moving forward with the Dia de los Muertos Parade this year.”
The parade was expected to take place in early November and would have been Long Beach’s 10th iteration. Typically, the parade draws hundreds of visitors to a route along downtown’s Pine Avenue.
It features floats, cultural performances, marching bands, equestrians, music and more to celebrate the Day of the Dead – an annual celebration, particularly for people in Mexico and Central America, and for many Latinos in the United States, to honor and commemorate the lives of the dead and welcome the return of their spirits. The holiday is celebrated each year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.
Earlier last week, the City Council approved Long Beach’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which carried over the unspent parade funding from FY25 and combined it with the budget funding for FY26, making $100,000 available for next year’s parade, according to Zendejas’ statement.
The Arte y Ofrendas Festival, a separate two-day ticketed event hosted by the SoCal Suenos Foundation that typically coincides with the city’s Día de los Muertos Parade, is also not taking place this year, Zendejas said.
Long Beach’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at City Hall, however, will still happen, Richardson said. That celebration is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, in the Civic Center Plaza.
“I deeply value the vibrant cultural diversity of our city,” Zendejas said, “and am looking forward to continuing our Día de los Muertos Parade next year.”
This announcement, meanwhile, was followed by another Long Beach car wash being the site of an immigration enforcement operation over the weekend.
Bixby Knolls Car Wash, on Wardlow Street, was the site of the raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during which about seven people were detained around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, according to Órale, a local immigration justice organization.
Upon learning of the incident on Saturday, Richardson said, his team immediately visited the site to support the owner and employees, and to connect them with resources. The Economic Development Rapid Response team was also engaged.
“This is a difficult time and we need to stick together,” Richardson said. “We’re going to do everything we can to show up for (the employees) and show up for their families in this moment.”
Long Beach’s adopted FY26 budget has expanded legal and educational support for workers and local small businesses, including its Justice Fund and Values Act.
A number of families are going to face a difficult choice of whether they go to work to make a living or risk being separated from their families, Richardson said. With so much uncertainty, the city is trying to address this by having $500,000 in emergency cash assistance for immigrant families, part of an overall package of about $5.1 million that includes legal support, emergency rental assistance and support for immigrant small businesses.
Long Beach will continue exploring every legal avenue available to combat ICE’s harmful actions, city officials said.
“What we need to do is demand this federal administration stop these discriminatory raids upon the neighbors of our community,” Richardson said. “The presence of ICE in our city has not made us safer. ICE needs to stop these activities and leave the city and no longer conduct these actions in the city of Long Beach.”
