Under the threat of immigration crackdowns, Bay Area communities rethink Día de los Muertos
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Oct 27
- 4 min read
By Jessica Flores,Staff Writer
Oct 28, 2025
Lingering apprehension trailing behind last week’s threat of a major immigration enforcement crackdown in the Bay Area will have a marked effect on Día de los Muertos celebrations this year.
Across the region, some event organizers canceled events or pared them back significantly to avoid putting celebrants in the crosshairs of federal immigration enforcement. Others are moving forward, but with emergency plans in place to keep people safe should federal immigration officers show up.
At least three organizers canceled parts of their Day of the Dead celebrations, which begin Nov. 1. Every year, families in Mexico and throughout Latin America gather to honor their deceased family members with various acts of remembrance, including by making ofrendas, or altars. It is believed that families are reunited with spirits of the dead. Many families in the Bay Area and across the world celebrate Día de los Muertos to connect with their cultural roots.
Last week, as organizers were preparing for their events, President Donald Trump said he planned to send federal agents to the Bay Area for an immigration crackdown, similar to immigration operations in other U.S. cities. Protests erupted, and a day later, Trump called off plans for a “federal deployment” after talking to tech leaders and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who encouraged him not to send agents.
Despite Trump canceling those plans, many immigrants and activists fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids could still happen.
“Even though it’s called off, we want to make sure that our community” feels safe, said Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, founder and executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a nonprofit in Half Moon Bay that provides services to Latinos and farmworkers.
Hernandez-Arriaga said the group canceled its annual Día de los Muertos procession and large event with vendors and mariachis after hearing from community members. An altar-making event will still happen inside the nonprofit’s office, she said.
“We have had community members expressing concern about what was happening and were stressed and worried, so we just want to honor that,” Hernandez-Arriaga said.
The Sonoma Community Center also canceled a large annual celebration in Sonoma where residents typically gather to eat and dance before an altar lighting, said the center’s executive director, Vanessa Rognlien. This year the center decided in early October that it will host only the altar lighting ceremony in an effort to make people feel safer.
“We’re not putting anybody at risk, asking them to bring their kids out, or putting them in a position where they might have to make a choice that doesn’t feel comfortable,” Rognlien said.
Organizers at Berkeley High School canceled their Día de los Muertos event on Oct. 25 “after hearing from many community members who shared that they do not feel safe attending at this time,” the organizers said in an Instagram post.
Other organizers are taking a different approach. Instead of canceling, they’re working with other groups and local officials to create emergency plans and ensure attendees feel safe while honoring their deceased loved ones at some of the largest celebrations in the region.
“We refuse to allow fear or intimidation to silence our joy or erase our traditions. Instead, we will move forward — celebrating safely, proudly and united,” the Unity Council, a nonprofit that organizes one of the Bay Area’s largest Día de Muertos festivals in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, said in a statement.
Chris Iglesias, CEO of the Unity Council, said it was especially important for the group to provide a safe space for communities at a time when people are scared to leave their homes.
The annual festival, which brings thousands of people to the Fruitvale, is also a big economic boost for local businesses, many of which are still struggling post-pandemic and urged the Unity Council not to cancel the event, Iglesias said.
Caheri Gutierrez, director of fund development and communications at the Unity Council, said the organization began working with city officials and other local groups, such as local aid group Centro Legal de la Raza, to create an emergency plan. They are also beefing up their security, deploying attorneys and volunteers to serve as “ICE watchers” and setting up a “Know Your Rights” booth with additional information and free legal consultations, the group said.
“Given the federal attacks on our people, who are being hit first and worse, it is absolutely critical for us to preserve culture and honor traditions, so we’re moving forward very cautiously,” Gutierrez said.
In San Francisco, Yerba Buena Gardens’ first Día de los Muertos celebration is going on as planned starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, commemorating the legacy of Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri, who died in August.
The Day of the Dead Festival of Altars at Potrero Del Sol Park, one of San Francisco’s largest Día de los Muertos celebrations, will also carry on Sunday at noon, said the festival’s founder, Rosa De Anda. She said she wasn’t anticipating problems with ICE, but the group has created an emergency plan nonetheless.
“We’re Bay Area strong, you know? It’s a very progressive community,” De Anda said. “We have to be strong because we have to take care of each other.”
Oct 28, 2025
Jessica Flores