Dodgers, DHS At Odds Over Presence of Federal Agents in Parking Lots

The Dodgers had a confusing back-and-forth with the Department of Homeland Security Thursday.

Federal agents arrived at Dodger Stadium parking lots hours ahead of a home game, leading to a small protest and arrival of LAPD. The team and DHS then shared conflicting accounts of what happened.

“This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots,” the team posted on social media Thursday. “They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”

The official account for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) responded to the post, writing, “False. We were never there.”

“This had nothing to do with the Dodgers,” the official DHS account posted in response to the team’s message. “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”

Customs and Border Protection, a federal law enforcement agency that’s part of DHS, did not respond to the Dodgers’ post on social media, and did not immediately respond to questions.

The incident happened the day after the Dodgers, who had been criticized for not speaking out about the recent L.A. protests against ICE raids, said they would announce plans to aid immigrant communities who have been affected. But before the team released that message Thursday, federal agents were in their parking lots. The team delayed its announcement of those plans following the parking lot incident. The conflicting accounts also reflect the tension in L.A. as the city has been a focus of protests against the Trump Administration’s immigration raids.

Local advocacy groups have criticized the Dodgers organization for remaining quiet, given their large Latino fanbase. But that hasn’t stopped individuals from making a statement. Dodger Kiké Hernández posted in support of migrants amid the raids and protests, and national anthem singer Nezza opted to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish at a June 14 game despite a Dodgers staff member telling her not to. (The team has said they will not bar Nezza from the stadium for overriding the directive.) “I just hope that we can be a positive distraction for what people are going through in Los Angeles right now,” manager Dave Roberts said last week.

It was a hectic 24 hours for the defending World Series champions. Late Wednesday, news broke that team owner Mark Walter would buy the majority stake in the L.A. Lakers for a record valuation of any U.S. sports team. And during the game against the Padres following the parking lots incident, a spat between managers led to both benches clearing onto the field, and the ejection of each skipper.

On Friday, the Dodgers announced they would give $1 million to families of migrants who had been impacted by the recent raids in L.A. The team also said it would be making additional announcements with local community and labor groups soon.

“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,” said team president and CEO Stan Kasten. “We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.”