LOS ANGELES — In a simmering dispute, the Los Angeles Dodgers say Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were denied entry to the stadium grounds – while ICE says the agency was ‘never there’ and the Department of Homeland Security claims the masked agents were with Customs and Border Patrol.
Who indisputably is here: Al Aguilar, one of many gathering outside the stadium hours before the Dodgers faced the San Diego Padres on June 19.
Aguilar, a lifelong Dodgers fan who says he was born and raised in Los Angeles, stood near the intersection on a corner near Dodger Stadium five hours before the team’s game. And three hours before a scheduled protest sparked by the Dodgers’ silence amidst immigration raids and unrest in Los Angeles.
“At least make a statement,” said Aguilar, 72, who came from his home about two miles from the stadium.
Aguilar held a sign that said “Dodger Boo” instead of “Dodger Blue” and many motorists honked as they drove past.
Aguilar said he was old enough to remember when Latinos were displaced from the Chavez Ravine area to make way for the construction of Dodger Stadium, critical to luring the team to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the 1950s.
‘I still love them, but say something,’ Aguilar said. ‘Especially on this day of Juneteenth. We stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez.’
But even as drivers honked in apparent support of Aguilar’s message, he said that ‘whether (the team) says something or not, people will still be Dodgers fans.’
Himself included.
Some protesters try to block traffic outside Dodger Stadium
LOS ANGELES — About 100 protesters outside Dodger Stadium disrupted traffic before the team’s game and prompted more than two dozen police officers to head to the scene.
At one point, the protesters spread out electric scooters across an intersection near an entrance and temporarily halted traffic. Police closed the gates and redirected traffic to another entrance while they tried to gain control of the situation.
While there were a couple of tense standoffs between protesters and police officers, there were no known arrests as of 8 p.m. PT.
All the while, the protesters kept up their chants, including “Boycott the Dodgers.”
It was the Dodgers’ silence over the Los Angeles protests sparked by immigration raids that galvanized the crowd on Thursday night.
“If the Dodgers can’t say anything, I guess we can,” Dodgers fan Amanda Carrera, 31, told USA TODAY Sports.
The police officers calmly removed the scooters and seemed unbothered by the chants. But things grew more tense when some people lingered in the crosswalks.
“Get out of the street, move,” an officer shouted. A protester leaned toward the officer and yelled back, but the moment did not escalate further.
By 7:50 PT, a few innings into the game inside, the protest outside Dodger Stadium had dwindled to about two dozen.
But not everybody in the crowd was a fan of those who were trying to block traffic.
“Protesters like that ruin the cause,’ Carrera said. ‘It’s people coming to cause problems.”
Dodgers delay announcement on support for LA community
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers were supposed to make an announcement about their ‘plans for assistance to immigrant communities’ but club president Stan Kasten said the organization would be delaying an announcement after the federal agents showed up.
“Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs,’ Kasten said in a statement, per the Los Angeles Times. ‘But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details.’
Protesters showing up at Dodger Stadium
Amanda Carrera, who said she is a singer who wrote a song called ‘Dodger Girl,’ arrived with a sign that said ‘Proud to be a Latina.’
‘As much as I love the Dodgers, I love my people even more,’ said Carrera, 31.
‘Silence is the problem’: Graffiti near Dodger Stadium
Graffiti artists have left their mark near the ballpark, clearly targeting the organization over its perceived silence amidst the protests with messages like ‘stop selling out,’ ‘LA is our home’ and ‘silence is the problem.’
In the hours leading up to the game, there were fans around Dodger Stadium with megaphones and others chanting ‘ICE out of L.A.’
Kiké Hernández has been only Dodgers player to speak out
One masked protester outside the stadium held a sign that read ‘Kiké Forever,’ referencing the longtime Dodgers utilityman who became the first active player to speak out against the immigration raids with an Instagram post in both English and Spanish.
‘I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own. I am saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love,’ Hernández wrote.
‘This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants’
Hernández has spent nine seasons with the Dodgers over two stints, winning World Series titles in 2020 and 2024.