Protesters and law enforcement gathered at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles following an attempted ICE action in the parking lot on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers said Thursday that it asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to leave the Dodger Stadium grounds after they arrived at a parking lot near one of the gates.
However, the team says their scheduled game against the San Diego Padres will go on.
“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 organization said in a statement posted online.
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. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2025
The presence of the federal agents in Chavez Ravine came on the same day the Dodgers were expected to announce team efforts to assist the immigrant community following growing criticism for perceived silence from a team that boasts large Latino fan base.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were not trying to enter the stadium.
“This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. (Customs and Border Protection) vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” she said in an email
Television cameras showed about four agents remained at the lot Thursday afternoon while officers with the Los Angeles Police Department stood between them and dozens of protesters, some carrying signs that read “I Like My Ice Crushed” and chanting “ICE out of LA!”
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez arrived at the stadium and said she had been in communication with Dodger officials and the mayor’s office.
“We’ve been in communication with the mayor’s office, with the Dodgers, with Dodgers security, about seeing if they can get them moved off their private property,” she told KABC-TV.
“Public property is different. Private property — businesses and corporations have the power to say, ‘Not on my property,’ And so we’re waiting to see that movement happen here.”
Protests began June 6 after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire the following days, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
The Trump administration has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. Dozens of troops now guard federal buildings and federal agents making arrests. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of around 4 million people.
Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids.
Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the region, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE present at libraries, car washes, and Home Depots.
School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom.
Thursday’s actions also followed raids by Immigration and Customs Custom Enforcement agents in Pasadena on Wednesday and in Pico Rivera on Tuesday, with the Pasadena actions drawing protests in that city and sharp criticism from Rep. Judy Chu.
Chu, a Pasadena Democrat, described the raids in a Wednesday statement as “alarming” and later that day visited the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where reports indicated detainees had been taken.
She was there, she said, to “demand accountability and transparency, and seek answers regarding her constituents currently being detained, the circumstances of their apprehension, and whether they are being granted due process,” she said.
However, the congresswoman said she was denied access to the facility by ICE agents “despite her legal right as a Member of Congress to conduct oversight.”
In a statement Thursday, Chu also said that video footage from the scene at Los Robles Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard appears to show ICE agent committing “serious violations of the law, aiming weapons at innocent civilians, driving recklessly through residential streets, and failing to present warrants or identify themselves.”
“These raids aren’t targeting criminals, they’re indiscriminately targeting workplaces, community institutions, and family homes,” she added.
“They’re rounding up people who contribute to our communities and keep our economy running. I’ve heard from countless constituents who are sick with worry. I will not stop fighting for our immigrant communities and their right to due process.”
ICE officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
