At Louisiana’s largest Hispanic festival, the smell of grilled meat wafted on a midday breeze, whipping the flags from more than a half dozen Latin American countries and carrying the sounds of playing children.
But the crowds that normally pack into Lafreniere Park in Metairie for Que Pasa Fest were thinner this year, according to organizers, who had considered canceling.
The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration — including arrests at new locations like schools and courthouses — have led to canceled events across the U.S. this year. The City of Kenner, which has the biggest Hispanic population in the state, canceled its annual Hispanic Heritage Festival this summer, three months ahead of the event…