The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they have committed $1 million toward direct financial assistance for families that have been impacted by the ongoing immigration raids being carried out by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the behest of President Donald Trump.
The Dodgers plan to announce additional details of support being provided in coordination with local community and labor organizations, including the California Community Foundation, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and others.
“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.
“We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.”
When Trump was campaigning for his second term, he repeatedly promised to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” The militarized ICE raids in Los Angeles and accompanying communities resulted in several protests not only in Southern California but throughout the country.
It’s believed more than 40% of the Dodgers’ fanbase is Latino, and it’s a market the team annually taps into in a variety of ways.
The Dodgers’ announcement comes more than a week after relative silence from the organization, and delayed by a day due to federal agents attempting to use the Dodger Stadium parking lot.
Manager Dave Roberts was first who was publicly asked about the wide-scale immigration sweeps as the Dodgers and San Diego Padres were set to begin a three-game series at Petco Park.
“That’s a whole deeper question,” Roberts began when asked on June 9 what his message would be to Latino fans facing unrest. “I just hope we can be a positive distraction for what people are going through in Los Angeles right now.”
When the Dodgers returned home for the first time since the immigration raids and protests began, Roberts again was asked if he had any thoughts on the matter.
“No, I don’t. Honestly, I don’t know enough to be quite honest with you,” he said on June 13. “I know that you’re having to bring people in and deport people. And just kind of all the unrest is certainly unsettling for everyone. But I haven’t done enough and can’t speak intelligently on it.”
Dodgers turn away federal agents
While the Dodgers stated they denied access to ICE agents, the agency responded by saying they were never at Dodger Stadium. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security said the agents were with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), contradicting the Dodgers’ statement.
“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.”
Both ICE and CBP are federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.
Whoever was present, fact of the matter stands the Dodgers did not permit the agency access to the Dodger Stadium grounds, regardless of what their intentions may have been.
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