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The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated $1m to assist families affected by two weeks of immigration raids in southern California.
The World Series champions also said 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. “I may not be born and raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own,” Hernández wrote. “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.”
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. “As an immigrant who came to this country 70 years ago, I know firsthand the hope, courage and determination it takes to build a new life in a new land,” Jarrín posted Tuesday on social media. “I have always believed that immigration is not just part of the American story; it is the American story.”
“Los Angeles is my home,” Jarrín added. “This city is my family. And it breaks my heart to see the growing division in our community and across the country. We all deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and humanity.”
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 LAFC and Angel City FC.
Congressman Jimmy Gomez, who represents the Los Angeles area, went on social media 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.”
