Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has drawn criticism from members of the County Council for unilaterally canceling the second annual Hispanic Heritage Festival.

Elrich said the decision came after several community groups expressed fear of drawing attention from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Elrich said the decision was not based on a direct threat from law enforcement, but community concerns.

“If ICE showed up, there’s not a thing we could do to prevent them from entering a public ground,” he said.

Instead, the county opted for “less visibility” by offering Wheaton-area elementary schools up to $2,000 to host their own cultural events.

Several council members disagreed.

Councilmember Natali Fani-González said that she was bothered by the event’s cancellation and that she found out about it through a press release. On Tuesday, at the County Council’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, she said Latinos should embrace their culture and heritage “now more than ever.”

“As a Latina, I want to make sure that people understand that I am here to stay,” she said.

“What the county executive Marc Elrich did was absolutely wrong — the wrong message and the way he did it.”

Council President Kate Stewart confirmed that her office had also been uninformed of the decision-making.

Fani-González said Elrich’s staff apologized to her when she expressed frustration at the lack of communication, an apology that she accepted. But the “damage is done,” she said.

“We are being kidnapped right now because of the way we look and the beautiful accents that we have,” she said. “That should not be a reason to live with fear.”

She added that events celebrating Hispanic heritage would continue to take place, including a student performance in Wheaton at the Marian Fryer Town Plaza this October.

“I was in deportation proceedings a few years ago, and I’m telling you, if I had to go through what I went through today, I would not be here,” she said to a crowd at the county’s gathering. “I would have been deported a long time ago.”

More than 20% of Montgomery County residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2024 U.S. Census Bureau counts.

Tuesday’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month was more emotional than usual. Councilmember Gabe Albornoz became tearful at the start of the event as he spoke about his grandmother, who became a U.S. citizen in 1971.

“This is the most important Hispanic Heritage Month in my lifetime,” he said.