The crowd in a packed Santa Ana bistro is on its feet. Some wave Mexican flags. Others sing through the disappointment. Soon the room breaks into Cielito Lindo — “Canta y no llores… sing, don’t cry.” England had just ended Mexico’s World Cup, beating them 3-2 in the Azteca Stadium, but here, it does not feel like the end of the story.
“This is sad,” says Louie Leyla, a Mexican-American who has lived in California since 1990. “But we’re going to keep rooting for our people, no matter what.” For the football-loving community of Southern California, home to one of the largest Mexican communities outside Mexico itself, the tournament has been a triumph. Mexico exceeded expectations, united supporters and, for weeks, gave fans something to celebrate.
“Mexico's World Cup run unites Southern California fans, contrasting with ICE raids a year earlier.”
“It’s a loss,” says Alicia Rojas, “but it’s a win for our community in Santa Ana.” Nearby, Cynthia Rebolledo points to her young son, dressed head-to-toe in Mexico colours. “He keeps asking if we’re still going to the parade,” she says with a smile. “He thought we won. He’s been rooting for Mexico — and for his community.”
This scene of joy is a far cry from what this area lived through just a year ago. Many Latino neighbourhoods were then experiencing the height of ICE immigration raids. Businesses saw customers disappear. Families stayed indoors. People were reluctant to gather in public.
“What a difference a year makes,” says Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, speaking in the middle of the same crowded bistro, where maracas, horns, matracas and chants almost drown out conversation. Just outside is downtown Santa Ana, the historic Latino heart of Orange County. Arellano remembers how different these same streets looked only a year earlier: “They were occupying the same streets that a year earlier were completely, completely and utterly dead. This was June last year. That was really the height of this. These streets were empty unless y…”
As music blares and fans dance with Mexican flags, Leigh Slater smiles. “Football is like life. You lose, you win. But what we’ve seen throughout this World Cup is the unbreakable spirit of immigrants in this country.”