Martha’s Vineyard’s Brazil Fest Postponed Due to Fears of ICE Raids

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swarmed the Massachusetts islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket last May, taking dozens of illegal aliens into custody and sending shocking waves throughout the migrant community.

The enforcement action forced organizers to postpone the Vineyard's 2nd Annual Brazil Fest, sponsored by the Building Bridges Coalition, scheduled for June 1.

The Coalition had hoped to hold the event on October 12; however, the Vineyard Gazette reported that won't be the case.

"This year, the budding Island tradition is in limbo after being postponed for the second time this summer amid continued safety concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returning to the Vineyard," according to the Gazette.

The paper reported on June 2 that "More than a dozen federal officers came to the island to arrest alleged undocumented immigrants, sparking an undercurrent of alarm in the large Brazilian immigrant population that calls the Vineyard home."

Boston's WBZ-TV reported in May, "An immigration raid on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on Tuesday resulted in 40 arrests, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE said that the people arrested on the Massachusetts islands included a gang member and a sex offender."

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The Vineyard Gazette reported an email from the Building Bridges Coalition said, "We are hopeful to have Brazil Fest year two in the future." No one seems to know when or if it will happen.

Building Bridges Coalition members and volunteers voted overwhelmingly to postpone the rescheduled event in October, citing safety concerns for those in the undocumented community.

Some expressed concern that holding the event as planned might draw "unwanted attention to the island's immigrant Brazilian community."