Dodgers donate $1m to help families impacted by Trump's ICE raids day after blocking federal agents from stadium

Independent

6 hours ago

The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated $1 million to families impacted by President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts.
Dodgers CEO and President Stan Kasten said his team 'believe[s] that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.' The pledge comes after the team said it blocked Immigration and Customs Encorfement (ICE) agents from entering Dodger Stadium parking lots on Thursday morning – prompting the administration to say they were Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operatives, not ICE.
'What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,' Kasten said in a statement Friday.
Dozens of federal agents were reportedly staging outside the stadium in unmarked SUVs on Thursday morning. Los Angeles elected officials then alerted the stadium to their presence, prompting the team's owners to bar agents from entering, according to local outlet ABC7.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the incident 'had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.'
In a post on X, ICE denied being at the stadium at all: 'False. We were never there.'
On Friday, local community leaders circulated a petition calling on the Dodgers to 'publicly denounce the raids.'
'The Dodgers aren't just a team—they're part of the soul of Los Angeles,' the petition reads. 'But today, immigrant families who've stood by this team for generations are under attack.'
'As ICE raids escalate across the city, parents are being torn from their children. Communities are living in fear. Latino families — who make up 40% of the Dodgers' fan base and contribute $300 million in annual revenue — deserve more than silence,' the petition continues.
Dodgers player Kiké Hernández said he's 'saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city' in a post on Instagram last week.
'Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love,' Hernández wrote. 'This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.'
Thursday's incident came in the wake of a crackdown on anti-ICE protests in downtown LA that followed a series of raids in the city.
The Trump administration deployed the National Guard – over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom – as well as a contingent of Marines. Critics said the deployment was an overreaction to the protests.
California senator Alex Padilla was arrested, pulled to the ground and handcuffed when he challenged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the deployment at a press conference in LA on June 12. He had interrupted her after she said Los Angeles and California needed to be 'liberated' from its elected lawmakers.
Some Los Angeles sports teams had already spoken out about the ICE raids, which have swept the country after Trump promised to carry out ' the largest deportation program in American history.'
Women's soccer team Angel City FC issued a statement on social media, noting the team is 'heartbroken by the fear and uncertainty many in our Los Angeles community are feeling right now.'
"At Angel City, we believe in the power of belonging,' the team posted on June 7. 'We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."
The team also shared community resources for immigrants, including the LA County Office for Immigration Affairs and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
The next day, the men's soccer team LAFC said their organization 'believes that the true strength of our community comes from the people and cultures that make up the tapestry of this beautiful and diverse city.'
'Today, when so many in our city are feeling fear and uncertainty, LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community,' the LAFC statement reads.
The controversy over Trump's crackdown was brought into the national spotlight again last Saturday, when the singer Nezza shrugged off the team's reported request to perform the National Anthem in English. Instead, she sang in Spanish.
'I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente,' she said. 'Safe to say I'm never allowed in that stadium ever again," she said in a video explaining what happened.
The Dodgers released a statement after the incident saying there we "no hard feelings" and that the team "would be happy to have her back."
The incident occurred before a game against the team's longtime rival, the San Francisco Giants, and on the same day as the "No Kings" protests against Trump.