The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced they will donate $1million to assist families impacted by two weeks of immigration raids in Southern California.
It comes just over two months after the reigning World Series champions cozied up to Donald Trump during a ceremony to mark their success at the White House.
‘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 Stan Kasten said.
‘We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.’
The Dodgers announced the steps in a five-paragraph news release that was delicately worded to avoid potentially inflammatory political terms, and which stopped short of an explicit condemnation of the federal policy.
The team said only that the financial aid would be provided ‘for families of immigrants impacted by recent events in the region.’
The Dodgers have donated $1m to assist families impacted by immigration raids in California
It comes just months after the World Series champions cozied up to Trump at the White House
A man is detained as clashes break out after US Customs and Border Protection officers tried to raid a store just south of Los Angeles
The Dodgers were briefly at the center of Southern California’s opposition to federal immigration policy when the team asked federal agents to leave the stadium grounds Thursday after they amassed at a parking lot near one of the gates.
Dozens of federal agents with their faces covered arrived at a lot near the stadium’s Gate E entrance in SUVs and cargo vans.
A group of protesters carrying signs against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived shortly afterward, and the agents eventually left.
Later in the evening, a fan who seemed to be protesting ICE’s immigration raids appeared to be removed from the Dodgers’ stadium by security as they played the San Diego Padres.
Speaking about the donation, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before his team faced the Washington Nationals on Friday night: ‘I think it’s great. I’m sure the money is going to be allocated in the right way. I’m happy to hear that the Dodgers have done that, and it´s certainly the right thing to do.’
Roberts claimed his players haven’t extensively discussed the situation in the clubhouse, but some Dodgers have been paying attention.
Kike Hernandez, a Puerto Rico native, sharply criticized the raids on social media last weekend.
Baseball Hall of Famer Jaime Jarrin, the Dodgers’ lead Spanish-language broadcaster from 1959 until his retirement in 2022, also spoke up against the federal actions.
A number of ICE agents were spotted descending on Dodger Stadium just after 10am local time
Federal agents tried to enter the stadium’s parking lot but were denied entry to the grounds
Photographs captured at the ballpark showed several masked agents staged near Gate E
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass praised the Dodgers in the team’s news release.
‘I want to thank the Dodgers for leading with this action to support the immigrant community of Los Angeles,’ Bass said.
‘These last weeks have sent shockwaves of fear rippling through every neighborhood and have had a direct impact on our economy. My message to all Angelenos is clear: We will stick together during this time and we will not turn our backs on one another – that´s what makes this the greatest city in the world.’
Fans and lawmakers have called upon the Dodgers for several days to make an unequivocal statement of opposition to the raids, given their vast Latino fan base and heavy influence in the region.
Other teams in the region have expressed their solidarity with the immigrant community, including Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC.
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who represents the Los Angeles area, went on social media earlier Friday to ask the Dodgers to speak up.
‘In a city where 36 per cent of the residents are immigrants and nearly 40 per cent of the team’s fan base is Latino, saying nothing is not just disappointing – it’s a betrayal and an insult,’ Gomez wrote. ‘Silence is not an option. It’s a choice.’
