Celebrating the Fourth of July is proving too dangerous for municipalities in the Los Angeles area, prompting them to cancel planned celebrations due to concerns about enforcement actions by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents. The fear did not impede hundreds from attending a “Sick-of-ICE, Sick-of-Trump” protest in the city Tuesday.
The cancellations can only be seen as acts of protest against the Trump administration by the municipalities — several of which chose to cancel previously advertised celebrations. In the city of Bell Gardens, a notice to the public on social media platform Instagram advised residents, “Out of an abundance of caution regarding concerns for resident safety over federal immigration enforcement activities, the City of Bell Gardens will be canceling the scheduled events between June 24, 2025 and July 10, 2025, including the Movie Nights on June 26 and July 10 as well as the Independence Day Celebration.”
The fear of ICE enforcement activities did not impact organized “Sick-of-ICE, Sick-of-Trump” protests carried out on Tuesday. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the demonstrations were organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and other activist groups and took place in many cities across the country, including Los Angeles. Protesters marched against the Trump administration’s ICE enforcement actions throughout the region on Tuesday.
At one point, as reported by Breitbart News, anti-ICE and anti-Trump protesters took over and blocked the 6th Street Bridge in Downtown Los Angeles for several hours as part of the demonstration. One post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) showed protesters performing a line dance as they blocked rush-hour traffic in the city. There were no arrests reported.
Although the fear of public gatherings did not deter the anti-ICE and anti-Trump protesters from rallying on Los Angeles streets, it did cause additional cancellations of celebrations in El Sereno, Boyle Heights, Cudahy, and Lincoln Heights.
Local ABC affiliate news reported on the cancellations, writing that Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado said, “Events in public spaces feel dangerous for our constituents, and this is not the time to host large public gatherings because people are afraid.” Jurado went on to say, “For Fourth of July and Independence, it rings hollow for a lot of our constituents here.”
What Jurado didn’t address is how the sudden fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents only impacts Fourth of July events and did not force the cancellation of other celebrations that have taken place within the city recently. Just a few weeks ago, more than 100,000 Los Angeles area residents attended the annual Pride parade in the city.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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