Baltimore Kenyan Cookout Shrinks 60% As ICE Fears And New Permit Fees Keep Families Home

Local reporting shows the annual Kenyan cookout at Gunpowder Falls drew roughly 1,200 people this year (about 60% below typical turnout). Organizers and attendees attribute the drop to circulating fears of ICE enforcement and to new permitting costs and infrastructure requirements that significantly raised event expenses. The piece documents both the cultural significance of the event and the tangible community-level consequences of a broader, multi-state enforcement uptick.