LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated $1 million to assist families impacted by two weeks of immigration raids in Southern California.
The defending World Series champion Dodgers also said Friday that they intend to form partnerships with the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and other organization to continue providing aid to immigrant families.
“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.”
“I think it’s great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before his team faced the Washington Nationals. “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.”
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.
Roberts claimed his players haven’t extensively discussed the situation in the clubhouse, but some Dodgers have been paying attention. Kiké Hernández, a Puerto Rico native, sharply criticized the raids on social media last weekend. Baseball Hall of Famer Jaime Jarrín, the Dodgers’ lead Spanish-language broadcaster from 1959 until his retirement in 2022, also spoke up against the federal actions.
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% of the residents are immigrants and nearly 40% 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.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press