Federal agents were turned away from Dodger Stadium grounds on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Dodgers released a statement Thursday saying that ICE agents requested permission to access the stadium’s parking lots and were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres will go on as scheduled.
Less than an hour later, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s X account responded to the Dodgers’ post by claiming that Customs and Border Protection vehicles were in the stadium parking lot “very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”
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An ICE spokesperson also told the Huffington Post that none of its agents were at Dodger Stadium and that they never tried to gain access, contrary to the Dodgers’ claims.
Despite what the DHS said, the Times reports that two of the vehicles at Dodger Stadium were also seen at a raid at a Home Depot in Hollywood earlier in the day. An agent also allegedly told a community member they were there to process people they had detained.
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 was expected to make that announcement Thursday, but team president Stan Kasten told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times it was delayed due to the morning’s events:
“Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs. But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details. We’ll get back to you soon with the timing.”
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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 L.A. 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 — former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt still owns the team parking lot — but is considered team property. McCourt sold the franchise to Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012.
Protesters gathered near Dodger Stadium on Thursday after seeing images of Department of Homeland Security vehicles near the park. Los Angeles police were reportedly called in by the team to tell protesters to leave. A video that circulated on Bluesky featured a Los Angeles police officer who told protesters, “[DHS officers] can’t be here. They are leaving, too. [The Dodgers] are kicking [DHS agents] out, they are kicking you out.”
Dodger Stadium saw a brief incident involving unidentified agents on Thursday. (Photo by Zin Chiang/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Dodgers have faced pressure from fans to issue a statement since 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.
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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. Undeterred, 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.”
