A Los Angeles Dodgers supporter was reportedly escorted out of their stadium by security on Thursday night for displaying a sign allegedly protesting the presence of ICE in the city.
Footage shared on social media by a Dodgers beat writer captured the moment the fan was being removed while Shohei Ohtani and his teammates played against the San Diego Padres.
The female fan could be seen in the clip with a sign in her hand, which reportedly read ‘ICE out of LA’.
The fan was given a huge round of applause by fans sitting near her as she held the sign aloft while being led up the steps and out of the stadium.
Daily Mail has reached out to the Dodgers for comment.
This incident occurred following the Dodgers’ announcement earlier on Thursday that they had requested ICE agents to leave the stadium premises after they were spotted at a parking lot near one of the gates.
A number of ICE agents were spotted descending on Dodger Stadium just after 10am local time
Federal agents tried to enter the stadium’s parking lot but were denied entry to the grounds
Dozens of federal agents with their faces covered arrived in SUVs and cargo vans to a lot near the stadium’s Gate E entrance. A group of protesters carrying signs against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement started amassing shortly after.
‘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 team said in a statement posted on X.
However, ICE later posted on X that its agents were never there.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said the agents were with Customs and Border Protection and that they were not trying to enter the stadium.
‘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,’ she said.
Television cameras showed about four agents remained at the lot Thursday afternoon while officers with the Los Angeles Police Department stood between them and dozens of protesters, some carrying signs that read ‘I Like My Ice Crushed’ and chanting ‘ICE out of LA!’
Council member Eunisses Hernandez arrived at the stadium and said she had been in communication with Dodger officials and the mayor´s office.
‘We’ve been in communication with the mayor’s office, with the Dodgers, with Dodgers security, about seeing if they can get them moved off their private property,’ she told KABC-TV.
Photographs captured at the ballpark showed several masked agents staged near Gate E
‘Public property is different. Private property – businesses and corporations have the power to say, “Not on my property,” and so we’re waiting to see that movement happen here.’
Protests began June 6 after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire the following days, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
The team has yet to make a statement regarding the arrests and raids. The Dodgers´ heavily Latino fan base has been pushing for the team to make a public statement and ignited a debate online about its stance on the immigration crackdown happening in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers had been expected to issue a statement of support toward Los Angeles-area communities affected by immigration enforcement, but no statement had been released by 5pm Thursday.
‘Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs,’ Dodgers President Stan Kasten told a small group of reporters.
‘But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details.’
The fan was led out as Shohei Ohtani and his teammates played against the San Diego Padres
The Trump administration has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. Dozens of troops now guard federal buildings and protect federal agents making arrests.
The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of around 4 million people.
Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids.
Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots.
School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom.
