A Latino music festival in southern Idaho organized by the Colombia Event Center has been canceled out of fear potential raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could take place.
Facebook users claimed ICE agents rented several hotel rooms at a Best Western in Jerome and that raids were planned for the weekend. Twitter posts said the raids were also possible in Boise, Nampa and Caldwell, as well as other major cities across the country.
The music tour that was set to take place in Boise, Nampa, Meridian, and Caldwell was canceled by event organizers Colombia Event Center and the cancellation notice on posted on Facebook. “El Tour de Idaho de Los Inquietos is canceled until further notice for the safety of our people — we are with our brothers in Jerome,” the Facebook post read.
Leo Morales, a representative from ACLU of Idaho, said he couldn’t confirm any ICE agents being in southern Idaho, but also said members of the community were panicked. “Immigration is doing their work on a daily basis, that is true,” Morales said. “That’s what they do. It is important for all community members, regardless of their immigration status, to know their rights in regards to law enforcement.”
Dan Hall of Jerome City Police said he didn’t have information or knowledge about ICE agents in their area. “It is absolutely possible that ICE could do a raid and we wouldn’t know about it,” he said. Hall stated the agency is not required to inform local law enforcement that they are conducting raids, except if its activity involves a case that police are already investigating.
Ticketholders for the canceled event are asked to receive a refund only from the place where their ticket was purchased.
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