2HARD Cancels Lucha Libre Party Over Threats of Calls to ICE

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2HARD’s Rave & Rumble event in San Jose was set to pair hard dance acts like VICIIOS and FRIJOL & DIMEZ with lucha libre wrestlers like Super Voltio and Necrosis.

Bay Area and SoCal promoter 2HARD has canceled its July 20 lucha libre-themed Rave & Rumble event at Senor Villas in San Jose, citing concerns over potential US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

“We received multiple reports that some opposing parties planned to call ICE on our event, putting our patrons, staff, and families at serious risk of harassment and mistreatment,” 2HARD shared in a statement via Instagram. “Our community means everything to us. This event was about bringing us together, celebrating our strength, and standing up for each other. Knowing that people would go out of their way to try to shut down something meant to uplift and support our community is deeply disappointing and painful.”

In an email to EDM Identity, 2HARD Founder Jorge Garnica Rios said that he suspects Rave & Rumble’s goal to raise money for the Coalition of Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) attracted the wrong kind of engagement.

“This wasn’t the first time we’ve been open about giving back to the community — in past years, we’ve partnered with organizations like Toys for Tots to run holiday toy drives and support local families,” Rios wrote. “However, because this time we were explicitly supporting immigrant communities, we believe we drew some hostile attention.”

Rios recounted that a widely seen Instagram Reel started garnering comments like “Ice” and “Donations for ICE instead,” along with GIFs referring to the agency. “At first, I assumed they were just trolls, but after talking with the team, we realized we couldn’t dismiss the potential risk. Even if the threats weren’t credible, we didn’t want to create a space where anyone might feel unsafe or traumatized.”

The Rave & Rumble lineup featured hard dance and hard techno artists like VICIIOS, FRIJOL & DIMEZ, and J. Slai as well as lucha libre wrestlers such as Super Voltio and Necrosis. 2HARD shared that refunds have been processed for all tickets, and the promoter is working out the logistics of a livestream event whose proceeds will also go toward CHIRLA.

ICE raids have become a hot-button issue in 2025, owing to President Donald Trump and his constituents’ hardline stance on immigration. In SoCal — another market where 2HARD organizes events — parties headlined by artists like Cloonee and Audien were canceled as raids in the area gained momentum last month, with countless other acts using their platforms to speak out.

“We’re disappointed. We’re angry. But mostly, we’re just really sad that this is the world we’re in right now,” 2HARD’s statement closes out. “We stand with our immigrant family. And we’ll keep doing everything we can to create safer, more loving spaces — always.”