It is often said that owners of professional sports teams are notoriously apolitical, or at least, give the distinct impression that they are. Professional sports teams often have issues that involve the city and local governments. Hence, it is in their interest to appear to be apolitical and keep everyone happy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are making a different calculation. They are siding with the city’s residents and standing up to ICE.
Good for the team and the residents of Los Angeles.
The MLB organization reportedly had plans to announce assistance for immigrant communities in L.A. today.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday they blocked federal immigration agents from entering their stadium as dozens of anti-ICE protesters gathered outside the sports venue.
On social media, the MLB team said that federal agents working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived at the stadium and "requested permission to access the parking lots."
"They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization," the Dodgers said, adding that their game against the Padres will go on at the stadium as scheduled.
Demonstrators standing outside the stadium's gates were seen holding signs and chanting "ICE out of L.A." and "ICE go home" as several dark SUV vehicles stood on the opposite side of the road. Some of the federal agents appeared to be wearing Homeland Security uniforms.
The federal agents who showed up in those vehicles were turned away from entering the stadium gates, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
More on This Breaking Story.
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… The team has faced pressure from fans to issue a statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have engaged in raids around the city. Numerous protests have been held in Los Angeles in opposition of ICE's presence in the city.
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."
From the Los Angeles Times
What started as a subtle act of protest has become national news.
Three days after singer and social media personality Nezza performed a Spanish version of the national anthem at Dodger Stadium — despite being asked by a team employee to sing it in English — the performer further addressed the situation Tuesday in an interview with CNN.
“With everything that’s been happening, I just felt like I needed to stand with my people and show them that I’m with them,” Nezza (whose full name is Vanessa Hernández) said on CNN’s “The Lead.” “I wanted to represent them that day.”
Entry Denied!
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez speaks to NBC News. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. You can sense the outrage in her voice as she speaks out against ICE.
There are plenty of media reports that confirm what the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team did earlier today.
ICE, however, is suffering from Trump-itis and said the Dodgers are lying, unless this is a bogus Twitter account.
Here’s a report by the BBC from the past few minutes. Why am I not surprised by Kristi Noem’s DHS lying about this?
ICE responded to the Dodgers statement on X: "False. We were never there."
The Department of Homeland Security too issued a statement saying the agents' presence at the stadium "had nothing to do with the Dodgers".
Keith Olbermann — who knows a thing or two about professional sports as well as politics — called it a “public relations disaster of biblical proportions.”
Good riddance!
The LAPD is exercising its rights over the Feds. Good.
Click on the link on the Tweet below Kirk Gibson’s pic to read the detailed article in the Daily Beast.
The iconic Los Angeles Dodgers went to war with ICE Thursday after an immigration raid that ended at the ballpark went off the rails.
The MLB team’s official X account claimed they turned away ICE agents after a crowd gathered to protest against unfolding raids...
Either way, California Congressman Jimmy Gomez claimed we shouldn’t believe a word any of them say. “Most of the time, what they’re saying is a lie,” he told CNN, accusing officials of “straight up lying” about Thursday’s arrests.
