Federal agents were
turned away
from Dodger Stadium grounds on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Dodgers released a statement Thursday confirming the situation and saying that Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres will go on as scheduled.
The incident comes less than 24 hours after
a Dodgers spokesperson said the team would announce plans to assist local immigrant communities
in Los Angeles. The team is expected to make that announcement Thursday.
Images circulated on social media of Department of Homeland Security vehicles around the stadium Thursday morning. It was unclear what — if any — operation masked agents were carrying out in the area. Agents did not reveal why they were near the stadium when asked by the Los Angeles Times.
Sources told the Los Angeles Times that the agents attempted to enter the team parking lot but were denied entry by the team. The parking lot is not technically owned by the team, but is considered team property. Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt still
owns the team parking lot
. He sold the franchise to Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012.
Protestors gathered near Dodger Stadium after seeing images of Department of Homeland Security vehicles near the park. Los Angeles police were reportedly called in by the team to tell protestors to leave. A video that
circulated on Bluesky
featured a Los Angeles police officer who told protestors, “[DHS officers] can’t be here. They are leaving too. [The Dodgers] are kicking [DHS agents] out, they are kicking you out.”
The Dodgers have faced pressure from fans to issue a statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) engaged in raids around the city. Numerous protests have been held in Los Angeles and across the country in opposition to ICE’s activities.
While the Dodgers resisted making any statement initially, the team found itself in an awkward spot after video emerged of a team employee telling national-anthem performer Nezza that the team wanted her to
perform the anthem in English
. Nezza sang the song in Spanish in protest of the ICE raids in the city.
At least two members of the Dodgers have issued statements about the raids. Utility man Enrique Hernandez and broadcaster and former player Adrián González both
spoke out
against ICE’s presence in Los Angeles, with González calling the raids “illegal” and ”
unconstitutional
.”
