As anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests continue in Los Angeles, dozens of federal ICE agents were seen near Dodger Stadium on Thursday but were denied entry to the famed ballpark.
The agents were seen dressed in tactical gear and gathered on the street that leads into the stadium.
The official Los Angeles Dodgers social media account took to X on Thursday, saying that the agents were not allowed to enter the stadium grounds.
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“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,” the organization said.
The Department of Homeland Security responded on X, saying the officers’ appearance at the stadium “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
“CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” DHS said.
A small group of protesters was also seen near the stadium on Thursday as demonstrations in the city, which began on June 6, continue.
The Dodgers organization has faced growing criticism from protesters for not speaking out about the immigration raids that have been taking place in the city.
“The largest economic engine in this area is silent! Wake up! Do better! We know you can!” Raul Claros of California Rising said Thursday at a news conference, pointing to Dodger Stadium behind him.
The demonstration comes after reports of a string of ICE raids in Los Angeles on Thursday, including one outside of a nearby Home Depot on Sunset Boulevard.
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Los Angeles City Council District 1 workers alerted the Los Angeles Police Department of the ICE staging near Dodger Stadium, local officials told ABC News Los Angeles station KABC-TV.
The police department then notified the Dodgers organization, which allegedly told the ICE agents to leave the property, according to KABC; however, a small group of federal agents were still at the location shortly after 11 a.m.
This comes as President Donald Trump has recently instructed ICE officers to do “all in their power” to oversee the largest mass deportation program in history.
“In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,” Trump wrote in a lengthy social media post over the weekend.
ICE has made over 66,000 arrests in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, according to the federal agency.
