'Visibility carries a risk'

San Francisco, California – For 44 years, a nighttime procession has snaked through the heart of the Mission District, San Francisco's historic Latino neighbourhood.

Aztec dancers lead the way, followed by thousands of revellers, adorned in marigolds and face paint that transforms the living into a parade of colourful skulls.

The celebration marks Dia de los Muertos, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and throughout Latin America to honour the dead.

Louie Gutierrez, one of the organisers behind San Francisco's festivities, considers it a time of somber reflection but also joy and exuberance.

“There’s a compassion in the air,” said Gutierrez, who works with the cultural advocacy group El Colectivo del Rescate Cultural de la Mission.

This year, however, as Latino communities across the United States prepare to mark the holiday this weekend, many are contending with another emotion: fear.

Since taking office for a second term, President Donald Trump has pursued aggressive immigration enforcement policies, as he seeks to carry out a "mass deportation".

In some communities, Dia de los Muertos events have been called off due to concern that they could serve as magnets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol agents.

Decatur, Alabama, for instance, called off its annual Dia De Los Muertos Festival this month, citing the threat of immigration raids.

"The decision comes in light of the current national climate surrounding immigration status and safety concerns, and our top priority remains the well-being of our community, attendees, and friends," organisers wrote on Facebook.

And in California's San Francisco Bay Area, a Día de los Muertos event that had been slated for October 25 at Berkeley High School was also cancelled.

Adriana Betti, executive director of the academic nonprofit RISE, explained that the decision was taken after parents expressed anxiety about attending the yearly event.

Even on a normal day, Betti added, some immigrant families are afraid to come to the school, for fear they might encounter law enforcement.

“We have parents who have somebody else walk their kids to school,” Betti said. Others carry their passports everywhere they go.

The last-minute cancellation was a loss for vendors who sell foods like tamales and aguas frescas at the event, according to Betti. And it's also a missed opportunity to connect families with community resources, like nutritional assistance programmes.

But the threat of immigration arrests has forced community leaders like Betti to weigh the benefits and risks.

Over the past year, the number of people in ICE detention has increased by about 59 percent, from about 37,395 in September 2024 to 59,762 last month.

Deportations have increased, too, with 527,000 removals reportedly conducted since Trump began his second term.

"The Trump Administration is on pace to shatter historic records," White House spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an October statement, celebrating the uptick.

California is among the states that Trump has threatened with a federal troop deployment, as he seeks to carry out his deportation drive, as well as a crackdown on crime.

Already, he sent 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June as a response to protests against his immigration policies.

Earlier this month, he was also poised to send military forces to San Francisco, though he ultimately called off the "surge" for now.

About six hours south of San Francisco, the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara is among the institutions suspending this year's Calenda Día de los Muertos, a traditional procession.

In the past, the event has featured music and dances from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, as well as an altar for the dead and Oaxacan cuisine.

But this year, Dalia Garcia, the museum’s executive director, told Al Jazeera that organisers could not guarantee that the event would be safe, given that it takes place in an open street.

Celebrating can be a form of resistance, Garcia acknowledged.

But for Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour — known collectively as the BIPOC community — Garcia believes there is an expectation that their traditions should be performed as a spectacle, regardless of the threats they face.

“The BIPOC community, we always have to show that we’re happy,” Garcia said. “And we continue to have these celebrations. But in reality, for me, it’s, like, no. I think we have to show that it’s affecting us.”

The heavily Latino farming community around Santa Barbara, she pointed out, has suffered losses in recent months.

In July, when ICE raided two cannabis farms — one in Santa Barbara County and another in neighbouring Ventura County — a farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse rooftop. More than 300 people were arrested.

In a public statement about the Dia de los Muertos event cancellation, Garcia explained, "Not everyone has the privilege to celebrate openly. For many in our community, visibility carries risk."

Still, in her interview with Al Jazeera, she clarified that she was not opposed to communities celebrating this year.

“By no means am I saying nobody should celebrate,” Garcia said. “It’s fine to celebrate, but how can we also bring awareness to what’s happening? How can we ignore the reality that joy is not present for everyone?”

In San Francisco, Gutierrez, the child of Mexican immigrants, acknowledged the tense political climate hovering over this year's festivities.

His family has owned a bakery in the Mission District since 1977, and he has observed that some in the community are staying home as a precaution.

It feels “like COVID all over again", Gutierrez explained. He encouraged community members to do what feels safe.

"I could see where it might be risky to come, and I would advise anybody: If you’re feeling like you’re at risk, don’t come," Gutierrez said, though he added: "If ICE were to come down here, they would really just be outnumbered.”

But ultimately, he believes little can stop the community from coming together to mark the holiday.

“The procession is organic. It starts with or without anybody,” said Gutierrez. “It’s gonna happen.”