The Los Angeles Dodgers waded into controversy on June 19, when they wrote on their X page that they had turned away ICE agents at their parking lot, and ICE quickly labeled the Dodgers’ statement “false.”
“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 Dodgers wrote in a statement posted on X. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.” The post quickly reached more than 7 million views on X.
The post brought a sharp response from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which responded on X, “This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.” CBP stands for U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency also fired back, writing on X, “False. We were never there.”
The situation sparked additional conflicting reports.
According to ESPN, “Dozens of federal agents with their faces covered arrived in SUVs and cargo vans to a lot near the stadium’s Gate E entrance,” and protesters with signs criticizing ICE “started amassing shortly after.”
“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,” Tricia McLaughlin, a public affairs professional for Homeland Security, told ESPN.
Eunisses Hernandez, a Los Angeles City Council member, told NBC News that she received calls on the morning of June 19 that “federal agents were staging here at the entrance of Dodgers Stadium. We got pictures of dozens of vehicles and dozens of agents.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers Say They Turned Away ICE Agents, But ICE Disputes It first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jun 19, 2025