Small US towns cancel fairs celebrating Latino culture – ‘climate of fear is real’
Harrisonburg, Virginia, a town of 50,000 people in the Shenandoah Valley, should have been alive with the color, sound and smells of local Latino culture. Soccer tournaments, taco trucks, Salvadorian chanchona musical bands and about 4,000 visitors were last month set to attend the town’s Hispanic Festival held at a sports complex outside the town.
But this year, it’s not happening.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents have been active in the Harrisonburg area for months, prompting organizers to cancel the festival.
