Los Angeles Dodgers ICE protests and boycott threats, explained
After previous repeated refusals to comment on the situation in Los Angeles — despite the fact LAFC and Angel City FC soccer clubs have both backed the city's immigrant community — some fans have called for boycotting the Dodgers and plan on protesting the franchise beginning Saturday, June 21.
Those calls grew louder following a recent attempt by federal agents to access the stadium.
Considering the Dodgers say more than 40 percent of the fan base is Latino, the fallout from a boycott could be felt immediately.
Here's how we got here.
Federal agents attempt to access Dodger Stadium
On Thursday, shortly after the Dodgers finally indicated they would announce plans to assist LA's immigrant community, fans woke up to rumors of federal agents using the parking lots at Dodger Stadium as a staging area.
The team released a statement later in the day saying it had refused access to ICE agents and Thursday's game would go on as scheduled.
ICE denied a presence at Dodger Stadium, claiming it wasn't there Thursday. Photos and videos show border control agents attempting to access stadium parking lots.
As protesters quickly swarmed the area, calls for the Dodgers to speak up or face a protest continued to grow.
Who is calling for a Dodgers boycott?
The call for action is coming from multiple groups and supporters and is starting to gain steam around the area.
Here's more from the Los Angeles Public Press:
Buried Under The Blue, an organization that advocates for the Indigenous communities displaced to build Dodger Stadium, have also spoken out and are asking fans to boycott the team. The group, which routinely refers to the Dodgers as the Displacers and advocates for the memory of the original neighborhoods of Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop (modern-day Chavez Ravine), are now referring to the team as the Deporters and are directing fans to partake in the ActionCali action.
Lawyer Michael Alder of Alder Law took to Instagram to call for a boycott of the team, urging fans not to buy tickets, attend or watch games or buy merchandise. 'I know it might seem small,' Alder said, 'but if we stand together we will undoubtedly make a real impact.
Fans have also been urged by groups like ActionCali to reach out to the Dodgers to voice their concerns.
Is this all because of the ICE raids in Los Angeles?
Yes and no.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the city have escalated concerns from fans, but the disconnect with the franchise actually began months ago.
The Dodgers were noticeably silent back in March when the Department of Defense wiped a webpage dedicated to Jackie Robinson's military service and bravery in breaking MLB's color barrier — then the team celebrated Jackie Robinson Day a few weeks later as if nothing happened.
In between those events, the Dodgers chose to visit the White House to celebrate their 2024 World Series title, despite manager Dave Roberts previously saying he would decline such an invite because of President Donald Trump.
Most recently, the team asked Nezza not to sing the national anthem in Spanish during the 'No Kings' day protests. She did not comply. Meanwhile, the team allegedly removed a fan holding an anti-ICE sign from a recent game and made another fan remove a sarape scarf before he was allowed to enter Dodger Stadium.
The actions here speak much louder than words, though the Dodgers haven't had too many things to say lately.
Wait. The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't comment on ICE raids?
Well, until Wednesday night — when talks of a boycott began growing louder — the official team position seemingly was to remain silent about what was happening to the city's immigrant community.
Per the Los Angeles Times Dylan Hernandez:
Don't expect this to change.
'We're not going to comment,' Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said.
Considering what's happened in the last week, do the Dodgers regret visiting President Trump at the White House earlier this season?
'We're not going to comment on anything,' Rosen said.
When the Dodgers announced they accepted Trump's White House invitation, team president Stan Kasten claimed the decision had 'nothing to do with politics.' Kasten sounded as if he was counting on the fans to give the team a pass for visiting an aspiring tyrant, either because their love of the Dodgers overwhelmed their disgust for Trump or because they lacked the intellectual faculties to connect Trump's racist rhetoric to real-life consequences.
That sentiment was clearly not shared in the clubhouse.
What about the Dodgers players?
Kiké Hernández has been one of the lone outspoken voices standing up for immigrants, posting a tribute to his adopted city on Instagram and asking for people to be treated with dignity and respect.
"I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own," Hernandez wrote. "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. 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."
Pitcher Brusdar Graterol previously took a stand on Instagram the same day his teammates visited the White House without him.
More players will certainly be forced to answer about the situation after Thursday.
Dodgers delay immigrant assistance announcement
If anyone thought the presence of federal agents at Dodger Stadium would encourage the team to finally speak out, they were mistaken. In fact, the team delayed their announcement indefinitely following the incident Thursday morning.
"Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs," team president Stan Kasten said in a Thursday statement. "But we are going to have to delay today's announcement while we firm up some more details. We'll get back to you soon with the timing."
Which brings us back to the calls to protest and boycott the Dodgers.
The franchise has a long, tenuous relationship with the neighborhood of Chavez Ravine, which is home to Dodger Stadium. When the Brooklyn Dodgers bolted for the West Coast, the area was predominately inhabited by Mexican-American communities, who had to flee their homes, or be forcibly removed, after the city seized the land via eminent domain in the 1950s.
The team's relationship with the Latino community only began to repair when Mexican star pitcher Fernando Valenzuela became a must-see sensation for the Dodgers in the 1980s.
This is not ancient history by any means. The Dodgers are only a few generations removed from displacing the local immigrant community, which explains why the silence from a franchise that worked for years to restore trust in the neighborhood it took over is suddenly fracturing.
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