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Holiday parade in Santa Barbara canceled over immigration enforcement fears

December 7, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

Santa Barbara’s Milpas Street Holiday Parade is canceled because of concerns of immigration enforcement activity.

After consulting residents of the city’s largely Hispanic Eastside neighborhood, on Tuesday the Santa Barbara Eastside Society announced it was canceling its popular Milpas Street Holiday Parade. Known for its cultural vibrancy and Mexican restaurants, the Eastside has hosted the parade for more than 70 years.

“After thoughtful deliberation, we believe that pausing the parade is the most compassionate and responsible path,” according to the Santa Barbara Eastside Society. “Our priority is, and has always been, the wellbeing, dignity, and safety of our community.

The society hopes to bring the parade back in Dec. 2026.

 


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Clearly from the comment section… “NO IRISH NEED APPLY!” etc etc is right where we’re heading and it makes me sick. Don’t think that you or anyone you care about is safe from this nonsense :/


-6

Do you really think ICE would pull over the first parade float that carried alleged illegal aliens, and busy themselves with handcuffs, pepper spray, and paddy wagons, in the midst of the huge parade watcher crowd?


Actually..I think you do.


8

REAL American Patriots of Hispanic descent, surname and dark skin to match voted for this. ALL OF THIS!


WE want ILLEGAL INVADERS removed as well. Post haste!


#DeportThemAll (with malice if need be)


6

Americans are experiencing fatigue from all the “cultural richness and vibrancy” imposed on us by the Plantation Party importing all their new voters and laborers from failed Third World societies. If the Santa Barbara Eastside Society truly prioritized the “wellbeing, dignity, and safety” of their community, they wouldn’t accept International Criminal Trespassers into it.


68

The fact that there is such a large group of undocumented people in Santa Barbara that it shuts down a Christmas Parade is kind of the problem with illegal migration…

Congress needs to lay out a framework for long time working law abiding migrants to apply for permanent citizenship… and that way the feds could concentrate on illegal felons….


-20

Do you know what International Criminal Trespassers (illegal aliens) are called who enter the USA illegally, get removed, and then re-enter illegally a second time? FELONS. I would be willing to bet there are plenty of felons in S.B. who have trespassed into the United States multiple times. That reality is a major factor why the S.B. Eastside Society cancelled the Milpas Street Holiday Parade.


56

Key words: “law abiding migrants.” They’ll all receive their fair share when they show up for their immigration appointments, learn English, and pledge allegiance to the United States of America.


39

No. ILLEGAL means ILLEGAL.


Then must go, by any and all means.


No se puede, mojados!


29

Does our cartel, the insurance companies, and their cartels ever work together? I think not because fixing the issue is not really the desired result so long as illegal is providing enforcement employment.


2

@Jorge

Please expound on your reply to me. I didn’t grasp what you were laying down.


0

Could have used ICE at the SLO Christmas, excuse me, “Holiday”, parade. Vendors, supposedly not allowed, of LED toys were inside the barricades with their brightly lit carts blocking people’s view and conflicting with the lighting on floats. Parade organizers dared not take any enforcement action.


33

Stand up, tip their carts where you see them. Tell them, “I’ll go ahead and call ICE.”


Trust me, they know what that means for them and their cartel run cart business (everywhere you see them).


STAND UP! TAKE BACK YOUR REAL AMERICAN TAXPAYER STANDING from these ILLEGAL INVADERS.


American Patriot Hispanics want the deported as well. Post haste!


5

An assault charge with a City of SLO hate crime enhancement is not on my schedule of holiday activities.


5

That is what it means to STAND UP.


(1) Some people stand for nothing because they fall for everything.

(2) The people who fall for everything probably stand for nothing.


0

Are these things actually CARTEL? As in DRUG CARTEL??? That is terrible! We had an issue here in AG with some dude dropping off four fruit selling carts on various corners, such as Halcyon and Grand….this was a few months or a year ago. He would pick the people up at the end of the day, strapping these carts precariously in the bed of the truck. Tailgate down, the last cart in hanging on for its life. I do not know how that can be allowed. If people do NOT buy from them, they wont stick around, i assume. Glad it doesn’t seem to be happening here anymore.


3

Cartels love cash businesses to wash their illicit real business.


Start by calling your code enforcement department to have them look into every single cart you see on the public right of way. You will soon see them disappear because they generally do NOT have a permit to do business.


I made sure A-town is NOW free of them doing it this way by informing law enforcement of the criminal underside.


Those carts are an easy ILLEGAL way to scrape (tax free) cash on the daily when they do NOT get checked by law enforcement.


It is NOT a harmless business by any means.


Also, please NEVER patronize those ILLEGAL carts, anywhere.


1

We also had the unlicensed vendors selling the light-up balloons and other land-fill-destined junk walking all over the village for last night’s parade here in AG. I saw an officer in a patrol vehicle slow way down, and look at one of the guys and THOUGHT he might go take action but, no…..nothing. However, I am quite sure if I started selling toys out of my home, I’d get a visit from someone looking for a business license and some sales tax revenue.


2

So when is the Christmas parade?


8

This Saturday the 13th at 5:30.


6