CNN trots out community leader to say Hispanics are ‘scared’ ICE will crash their Cinco de Mayo celebrations

CNN brought on Hector Escobar, president of the Casa Puebla and Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce, to say Monday that Latinos are so frightened of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they canceled their Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

CNN host Pamela Brown introduced the segment on “The Situation Room” by saying, “Some communities have canceled or scaled back cultural events because of President [Donald] Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and the fear among many Latinos that they could be arrested.” Fellow host Wolf Blitzer asked Escobar about the extent of “the fear” in his community that led to its choice to cancel Chicago’s Cinco de Mayo parade.

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“Our people are very scared. And honestly, they’re saying they don’t want to go to work. They have to work because they have to feed their families. So if they both were working, now one person is working,” Escobar said. “So that took us to some sense around the community and asked them, how about the parade? How about the festivities? And they say, well, if we’re scared to go to work, I don’t think it’s nothing to celebrate. So that took us the decision over money.”

“Our people are scared. And it took that hard decision because, yeah, we lose money, the business loses money. But we had to protect our people,” he added. “More important than money. And we see all over the country this picking up of people with no criminal records.”

Daily border encounters have plunged 93%, and migrant crossings have fallen by 99.99% under the Trump administration, according to a 100-day fact sheet the White House shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation on April 28. Encounters with “gotaways” — illegal migrants who successfully evade Border Patrol apprehension and are considered to be severe public safety threats — are also down by 95%.

Moreover, the White House asserts it has arrested over 151,000 illegal migrants and deported over 135,000 in its first 100 days in office. It has also arrested or deported about 600 Tren de Aragua members and thousands of MS-13 members during the same period.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also announced on Monday that it is now offering $1,000 in flight assistance to any illegal migrant who departs the United States voluntarily using the Trump administration’s CBP Home app.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”

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