The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to attend their World Series ceremony at the White House this year despite being urged to snub Donald Trump amid ongoing ICE raids in the city.
After their epic Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays back in November, the Dodgers received the traditional invite from the president to celebrate their championship win in Washington DC.
Yet following hundreds of immigration raids that have taken place in LA in recent months, as well as many more across the country, day laborers and immigrant rights group have been calling on the Dodgers to decline Trump’s invitation.
Government officials were even seen descending upon the team’s stadium in June of last year, with the Dodgers claiming they denied ICE agents access to their parking lot, an allegation which was denied by Homeland Security.
Though while it risks the wrath of the city, the New York Post claims the Dodgers plans to attend their ceremony at the White House.
A date has not yet been set, but LA has reportedly contacted the Trump administration to accept the invitation.
The Dodgers are set to celebrate their World Series win with Donald Trump at the White House
Fans have been calling for the team to snub the visit amid Trump’s brutal ICE raids in the US
The president welcomed them to the White House after their World Series triumph in 2024
When asked about the potential trip to Washington at the weekend, Dodgers President Stan Kasten told the LA Times: ‘I don’t have any news for you on that.’
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said recently: ‘I’m going to go to the White House… I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.’
The baseball franchise visited the White House after each of their two previous World Series wins, celebrating with Joe Biden in 2021 and Trump last April.
While a date for this year’s trip is yet to be confirmed, they are due to play against the Nationals in Washington from April 3-5.
Last year’s White House visit was also a controversial one, but the outrage surrounding ICE – particularly after two US citizens were recently shot and killed by immigration agents – means there is more contention around it than ever before.
Back in November, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network wrote in an open letter to the Dodgers: ‘By visiting a president who has used his power to harm the most vulnerable, the team would be turning its back on the very people who fill the stadiums, wear the jerseys, and give this team its heart.’
A city founded under Spanish rule and later part of Mexico, Los Angeles has been part of the United States since 1848 but remains largely inhabited by people of Mexican descent.
‘Los Angeles is a city built by immigrants, working families, and dreamers,’ read a post from the Day Laborer Network asking supporters to sign a petition. ‘We celebrate our champions, but we also stand for justice, dignity, and love for our community. ‘Dodgers, stay with us. Stand with the city that has always stood with you.’
