Immigration fears dampen spirits at Hispanic festival

RALEIGH -- Underneath the horn riffs and conga beats of Latin fusion band Pablo Antonio y La Firma, there was tension at the 14th annual La Fiesta del Pueblo.

Attendance for the two-day festival was down from the 26,000 who participated in 2006, Marisol Jimenez McGee, El Pueblo's director of advocacy, said Sunday. Actual attendance numbers will not be available until later this week.

"We're hearing a lot of fear and tension in the community," Jimenez McGee said. "We definitely had people telling us that immigration [enforcement agents] was coming to the festival."

Fiesta, held at the State Fairgrounds, is the flagship event for El Pueblo, a Latino advocacy organization based in Raleigh.

In addition to live music performances and vendors, the event serves as an opportunity to bring together the state's Hispanic population en masse.

Booths for the American Civil Liberties Union and insurance companies and a mobile Ronald McDonald shared space with tamale and lemonade vendors.

Pedro Carreno, president of the Carolina Hispanic Association, ran the voter registration booth at Fiesta. Even with the decrease in attendance, Carreno estimated his group registered 175 voters over the weekend.

"The way that we can make a change is to inform as many people of their rights," he said.

At least one attendee took the time to escape the politics of immigration and take in the sights.

Ernesto Castillo pushed a stroller with his family and had high praise for El Pueblo's efforts.

"It makes you forget everything that's going on outside," he said.