NWSL and WNBA unions release joint statement in response to immigration raids across the U.S.

New York Times

a day ago

The players' associations from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSLPA) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBPA) shared a joint statement on Thursday acknowledging and standing with the families 'facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration.'
'We're in the midst of a new season and an incredible moment for women's sports, but it's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now,' the joint statement reads.
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The unions' announcement comes amid widespread immigration raids ordered by President Donald Trump and his administration. Trump has vowed to reach record-level deportations. The administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to cities across the country to detain people off the street and at their workplaces. Los Angeles has been a particular hotbed of activity in the past week, where protests have broken out in some parts of the city.
On June 7, Trump signed a presidential memorandum that authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles, stating their presence was needed to 'address the lawlessness' there. Local and state lawmakers and law enforcement have objected to the move, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta suing the Trump administration over an unlawful use of the National Guard.
NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke spoke to The Athletic ahead of the statement's release, saying, 'What's happening in LA is clearly an immigration issue, but it goes even beyond that. It's also about this administration's willingness to bring military force in to enforce their policies, and specifically the arrest of a union leader, David Huerta.' The Services Employees International Union (SEIU) California president was arrested on Friday on a charge of conspiring to impede an officer and suffered an apparent head injury. On Monday, he appeared for a bail hearing and was released on a $50,000 bond.
A post shared by WNBPA (@thewnbpa)
In response to the raids, protests have been organized across the country, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Omaha, and Raleigh, to express anger with the administration's crackdown on immigration.
Burke credited the WNBAPA, with whom the NWSLPA has a 'very strong relationship,' with initiating the conversation about releasing a joint statement.
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'They've been leaders in this space,' she said. 'We shared (the statement) with our board, and it really resonated and spoke to our situation right now.'
Burke added that humanity can get lost during fraught moments like this, as 'families are getting ripped apart, workers getting targeted. It's important to stand together as workers' unions.'
In the days since, the initial number of National Guard members has doubled, and the president has also deployed 700 active duty Marines to the Southern California city since the raids and demonstrations began last week. Historically, active duty Marines have only been deployed within the country under extraordinarily dire conditions.
'We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go,' The NWSLPA and WNBPA statement reads. 'Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate.'
Last Friday, when protests against ICE raids in Paramount, Calif. (in Los Angeles County) carried over into Saturday and coincided with Angel City FC's home match against the Chicago Stars, the club released a statement ahead of the game and posted it to its Instagram account:
A post shared by Angel City FC (@weareangelcity)
The post was accompanied by the names of two organizations, the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Last month, ICE joined forces with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security to conduct 588 traffic stops and detain 103 people in a week in Nashville, the home of an eponymous Major League Soccer (MLS) club. Nashville SC supporters, many of whom belong to the city's Latino community, held up signs during the team's game on May 10 that read: 'No estamos todos aquí.' 'We are not all here.'
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Last Sunday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, where Angel City plays, fans of Los Angeles FC initiated a silent protest during the team's game against Sporting Kansas City, taking up six rows of seats on the supporters' end of the stadium for a sign that read 'Abolish ICE.'
Burke said that when it comes to monitoring events across the MLS to prepare for what may happen in the NWSL, 'everything is information.' In addition to other soccer leagues in the U.S., the union has had 'laser-beam focus' on the news surrounding travel bans and is in constant communication with the league.
'When I look across the landscape of what's happening in our country, it's unions leading the way,' she said.