The Los Angeles Dodgers have revealed they declined a request from ICE agents to access the parking lots of their stadium on Thursday morning.
A number of ICE agents were spotted descending on Dodger Stadium just after 10am local time, before reports emerged claiming they were denied entry to the grounds of the ballpark.
And in a statement posted on X later in the day, the MLB franchise confirmed the immigration officials unsuccessfully attempted to access their parking lots.
‘This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots,’ the statement reads. ‘They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization.’
The Dodgers added that their scheduled game against the San Diego Padres will go ahead as planned at 7:10pm local time.
The incident comes just two weeks after anti-ICE riots wreaked havoc on downtown LA and spawned other demonstrations across the country.
The LA Dodgers have released a statement on ICE agents arriving at their stadium on Thursday
A number of ICE agents were spotted descending on Dodger Stadium just after 10am local time
At least four Department of Homeland Security vehicles were seen near the stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, the LA Times reported.
Dozens of federal agents, masked and wearing tactical gear, initially gathered at the stadium’s downtown gate to conduct a briefing.
The agents then dispersed to various locations in the area, but a small group of agents were still seen on the premises shortly after 11am.
Los Angeles City Council District 1 workers alerted LAPD of the ‘staging’ at the stadium, a local elected official told ABC 7.
A group of apparent protesters have since assembled outside the gate. Police have been asked to intervene, another insider claimed.
Demonstrators were seen waving protest signs and chanting ‘ICE out of LA’ almost two weeks since immigration enforcement raids began in the city.
As ICE protests were ramped up last week, a national anthem singer sparked controversy after ignoring a request from the Dodgers to sing the American national anthem in English before their game against the San Francisco Giants.
Dominican singer Nezza, 30, claimed the baseball team tried to stop her performing the Star Spangled Banner in Spanish before she did it anyway as a show of solidarity with ICE protestors in the city.
Nezza, whose real name is Vanessa Hernandez, executed the poignant tribute against the Dodgers’ wishes on the day of ‘No Kings’ protests across the US over Trump’s controversial immigration policies.
