The Los Angeles Dodgers became intertwined with the widespread immigration raids carried out by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement last summer, and it prompted a $1 million pledge from the organization to support those who were affected.
“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,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement last June. “We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.”
Dodgers fulfill $1 million pledge to community
According to A.J. Perez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers wound up donating $1.1 million.
In total, the Dodgers donated $1.1 million, representatives for California Community Foundation and Labor Community Services — the two nonprofits that received the funds — told The Times.
The bulk of the Dodgers’ donation went to California Community Foundation.
The California Community Foundation received $1 million, which worked with Los Angeles city officials to distribute $1,000 in direct relief to 1,000 households impacted by the immigration raids. The money was distributed through cash cards, according to the foundation. The Dodgers’ gift amounts to a quarter of the $4 million the foundation has raised for its Los Angeles Neighbors Support Fund, $3.3 million of which has been “deployed to impacted communities with new investments continuing to roll out,” according to the nonprofit.
The Dodgers additionally provided $100,000 to Labor Community Services.
The Dodgers also donated $100,000 to Labor Community Services, a partner of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, that provided more than 4,000 families with food assistance with the team’s donation.
The Dodgers’ pledge to give back to the community came amidst the team denying federal agents entry to Dodger Stadium.
“This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization,” the Dodgers staid in a statement.
That drew a rebuttal from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who said their agents were not at Dodger Stadium. Local television news reports that morning showed live shots of agents who identified themselves as being with the Department of Homeland Security sitting outside Gate E of Dodger Stadium.
DHS said agents who attempted to enter the stadium parking lot were with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
“This has nothing to do with the Dodgers,” DHS posted on social media. “CBP vehicles were in the parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”
CBP and ICE are both federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.
Semantics aside, the agents descending upon Dodger Stadium caused an initial delay in the Dodgers announcing their $1 million pledge so they could “firm up” details and the best approach.
While the Dodgers took measures to support local citizens, they fell short of formally condemning the raids, whether as an organization or high-ranking officials on their merit.
Kiké Hernández was the first player to acknowledge and speak out in opposition against the immigration raids. He was followed soon after by Adrián González and Jaime Jarrín.
Though, a subplot to the issue of Mark Walter’s Guggenheim Partners investment firm owning more than 1 million in shares of GEO Group, a prison company that aided in the deportation of immigrants, was seemingly resolved by those being fully divested.
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