Latest news with #LatinoFestival
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Community group hosts educational talk about immigration
FERDINAND, Ind. (WEHT)—A community group in Ferdinand began a series of talks this week about hot-button issues impacting the nation. 'We are not Democrats or Republicans, and we are not promoting that. What we are promoting is education, teaching people what our country really stands for,' says Patty Ruhe, a member of the group 'Building Community.' The talks are part of a series called 'Teach-Ins 2025,' and are organized by the group Building Community. The first one took place on Thursday at St. Benedict's Brew Works and focused on Immigration. Sister Joan Scheller, who helps with Latino and Immigration Services at the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, facilitated the talk. It comes days after organizers canceled this year's Latino Festival in Dubois County over fears of immigration enforcement. The event typically draws thousands of people to Dubois County. Several people came to the talk to ask questions about immigration and its policies. 'What does it mean to be documented?' Sister Scheller asked the group. 'I think that it speaks to the people that we have here. I mean, the people are hungry to get good information, and they are hungry to make an educated decision. They are hungry to support each other,' says Leann Burke, a group member. The group says Dubois County has a decent population of immigrants. 'I own a store in this area and the information and conversations from people I hear, especially about immigration and tariffs, which we are going to be talking about in our next teaching. I was flabbergasted at the ideas people thought an immigrant was,' Ruhe says. Members say having an open discussion like this helps people have a better understanding of what immigrants are. 'We are hoping that teachings like this can help bring our communities together around facts, common understanding, and friendship,' says Rock Emmert, who helped organize the event. The next talk is about tariffs and takes place on Thursday, June 5th, at St. Benedict's Brew Works in Ferdinand. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or a lawn chair. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Latino festivals face cancellations; LULAC fights to keep events
DES MOINES, Iowa — Just after Washington, Iowa, canceled its Latino Festival, Ottumwa announced its cancellation. Now, local groups are working to keep festivals around the state going. Latinos for Washington, Inc. announced that their annual Festival Latino of Washington was cancelled on April 24. Two weeks later, on May 7, the group VIVA Ottumwa announced their own cancellation. In a message to the community, the group announced the cancellation, saying in part. This decision was made with our community's safety and well-being in mind. Like many across the country, we are navigating a time of uncertainty that has deeply impacted vulnerable community members. We believe it's our responsibility to act with care and prioritize the peace of mind of those we serve VIVA Ottumwa Latino Festival Facebook Trump's CPB cuts impact Iowa PBS and Iowa Public Radio Washington and Ottumwa aren't the only places that express concerns, Valley Junction says their weekend Cinco De Mayo Festival was impacted. 'We did take a hit on attendance, so we did notice that,' said Larry Kaster, Historic Valley Junction Events and Marketing Manager. 'We have a large number of people that, in past years, would go through the beverage tent with Mexican IDs, and this year we only had one.' The Iowa League of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC, has been in contact with festival planners around the state and says the concerns are heard, but it's not stopping everyone. 'Muscatine, they're on in. They've had to deal with some hateful rhetoric in that community, but the Muscatine folks are going to do theirs,' said Joe Enriquez Henry, LULAC Political Director. 'We hope that this continues on throughout the state, as we know, the Latino community and the immigrant community are growing.' In Des Moines, the 2025 Annual Hispanic Heritage Event is set to take place September 27th and 28th, and Henry says plans are still a go. 'The festivals will continue, and whatever issues that might pop up or actions or behaviors, we're going to deal with it,' said Enriquez Henry. 'Des Moines is very strong, we having a Latino festival here that has gone on several decades.' Henry says a Des Moines LULAC group will meet this weekend to discuss how to prevent further cancellations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Axios
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Indiana Gov. Braun pledges support for Trump's immigration policy
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has directed state law enforcement agencies to "fully cooperate" with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is encouraging local agencies to do the same. Why it matters: Just one week into his new administration, President Trump's campaign pledge to oversee mass deportations of immigrants is taking shape, with ICE arresting more than 3,500 individuals. The big picture: Braun's pledge Tuesday to cooperate with Trump's immigration policy came several days after Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department chief Chris Bailey said the department would not participate in ICE raids and Indianapolis Public Schools said it would not allow ICE officers on school grounds without a warrant. "Local law enforcement … does not have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws," Bailey said in a statement posted to X. State of play: Braun said his focus is on "the most egregious examples" of people in the state illegally who have committed crimes while here. "Indiana is going to be a state that is going to help get people that came in here illegally and then committed crimes and are dangerous back out of the country," he told reporters Tuesday. When asked if he supports going into schools and churches to look for people in the country unlawfully, he said, "No, because I'm not getting any directive from the federal government on that." Yes, but: Indiana law already requires law enforcement officers to cooperate with ICE. Braun said that "in the few places that may not be abiding by the spirit of [the law], we're going to make sure they do." If communities continue to fail to cooperate with ICE, Braun said, he expects state Attorney General Todd Rokita to get involved. Rokita has already sued two counties for allegedly not cooperating with federal immigration law. Reality check: Less than 1% of immigrants deported last fiscal year were kicked out of the U.S. for crimes other than immigration violations. Zoom out: Indiana is more than 1,000 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, but immigration was a major campaign issue for Braun. He said Tuesday that he would extend former Gov. Eric Holcomb's order deploying the Indiana National Guard at the southern border. What we're watching: Also on Tuesday, state lawmakers considered a bill that would require county sheriffs to partner with ICE in their jails. House Bill 1158 would require sheriffs to participate in ICE's 287(g) program, which trains officers and then allows them to perform certain functions of immigration enforcement within their jails. Though the program has existed for three decades and Indiana counties have always had the option to participate, Hamilton County became the first to opt in this year. What they're saying: Robert Goldsmith, Tippecanoe County sheriff and president of the Indiana Sheriff's Association, said his community is already so nervous about a possible change in immigration policy enforcement that they're considering canceling their annual Latino Festival. "I don't see a reason to mandate a sheriff and tell them what they're going to do in the community they serve," Goldsmith told lawmakers during a Tuesday-morning hearing. "We have to answer to our citizens." What's next: The House Local Government Committee did not vote on HB 1158 as lawmakers wait for state fiscal analysts to provide a better understanding of the costs it may have.
