The Dodgers’ opportunity to engage with a large portion of their fanbase came to their literal doorstop on Thursday, but as of yet that thirst hasn’t been quenched.
“This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots,” the team said in a statement Thursday. “They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said of the Dodgers’ statement, “False. We were never there.”
The Department of Homeland Security posted that the agents were from Customs and Border Patrol, and “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
Terry Castleman and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reported the agents said they were from “DHS,” and Molly Knight reported the LAPD told her they were ICE agents. There is plenty of on-site video and photos of the plainclothes, masked agents in unmarked vehicles, whatever agency they were from.
You can see the ICE agents in their minivans then the LAPD cars in the back appearing to block the Dodger Stadium parking lot entrance.
When I asked an LAPD officer if they are blocking ICE from entering the parking lot she said “put it this way. The Dodgers don’t want them coming in.”
— Molly Knight (@mollyknight.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T18:56:31.572Z
Thursday is the seventh game of a 10-game homestand at Dodger Stadium. The first of those games came on June 13, about a week into federal immigration raids in and around Los Angeles. Before that first game, manager Dave Roberts was asked for comment on the raids, and ensuing protests around the city and surrounding areas.
“It’s certainly unsettling for everyone,” Roberts said then. “But I haven’t dug enough and can’t speak intelligently on it.”
Kiké Hernández over the weekend posted a statement on Instagram including, “I am saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city.”
Retired Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrín on Tuesday posted a statement, including this:
Los Angeles is my home. This city is family. And it breaks my heart to see the growing division in our community and across the country. Every one of us deserves to be treated with dignity, with respect, and with humanity.
In the face of the injustices and heartbreak we’ve witnessed, I am deeply proud of the thousands who have taken to the streets peacefully; standing tall, raising their voices, and refusing to be silenced. Your courage matters. Your presence matters.
But the team itself hasn’t said much regarding the raids or the protests. Even before Thursday morning’s incident, there was a plan to protest at Dodger Stadium on Saturday afternoon prior to the team’s game against the Nationals.
“They’ve been silent on these ICE raids. The Dodgers now are an organization that are just focused on money and their own personal interests,” said Memo Torres of L.A. Taco on Wednesday. “I love the Dodgers, as most of us do here. But this pisses us off.”
Also on Wednesday, a team spokesperson told reporters the club planned to announce details of its plans to help out various immigrant communities on Thursday, which Fabian Ardaya detailed at The Athletic.
But after the team denied entry to agents on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, those plans are now on hold, per team president and CEO Stan Kasten. From Alden González at ESPN:
“Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “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.”
The most generous interpretation of this is that the Dodgers are working out the logistics of the plans they already hinted at but haven’t yet revealed. A more cynical view is that the agents’ attempted entry into Dodger Stadium on Thursday morning worked as an intimidation tactic.
Either way, fans wanting to know where their team stands will have to wait another day.