The city of Los Angeles has held a near-permanent place in headlines across the United States over the last few weeks as Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues its detainments and deportations of residents.
Protesters have taken to the streets of LA to demand an end to the cruelty at the hands of President Donald Trump, ICE and the National Guard, which has also been deployed unconstitutionally.
The Los Angeles Dodgers remained quiet on the issue for the first two weeks of action in the city — a surprise for an organization that boasts about 40% of its fanbase being Latino.
On June 20, the Dodgers donated $1 million to “direct financial assistance for families of immigrants impacted by recent events.”
Fans had been upset about the Dodgers’ lack of action regarding the ICE raids and protests, and the organization likely figured that a donation would help return to their good graces.
It didn’t work.
The day after the Dodgers announced their donation, protesters congregated at the Downtown Gate at Dodger Stadium to speak out against ICE. But some protested the team itself.
After the critical comments from fans across MLB for their silence, the Dodgers finally caved to the bad press. Fans carried signs that said “Dodgers want you to shut up for $1 million,” and noted that their donation was “a little too late.”
Fans protest Dodgers’ ‘too late’ donation of $1 million to families of immigrants after bad press
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the entrance to Dodger Stadium on Saturday afternoon to criticize the team for what they say is a lack of support for Hispanic and immigrant communities amid ongoing immigration raids in Los Angeles.
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— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 22, 2025
As one of the wealthiest teams in MLB and the most popular baseball team in LA, the Dodgers should have been front and center when it came to condemning ICE raids and deportations solely based on racial profiling.
The Dodgers have a huge Latino fan base and MLB is loaded with talent from countries that the United States government is targeting as part of its mass deportation agenda.
One would think the Dodgers would be at the forefront of the resistance movement here, especially given their history with Latinos of Los Angeles (Dodger Stadium was built on top of a previously bustling, mostly-Mexican community, Chavez Ravine, one of the only places people of color were legally allowed to live).
The Dodgers continued that contentious relationship by visiting the White House after their 2024 World Series victory, despite Trump’s controversial actions that targeted the very core of their fanbase.
The Dodgers organization has been so inactive in the city’s protests against the unconstitutional mass detainments that players and others connected to the team have spoken out individually.
Longtime Dodger Kiké Hernández made an Instagram post on June 14 condemning the raids, saying “ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.”
Dodgers national anthem singer, Nezza, also performed a Spanish version of the anthem, without the organization’s consent, to make a statement about the importance of immigrants in United States society. “El Pendón Estrellado,” which Nezza sang on June 14, is an officially recognized version of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
The Dodgers’ $1 million donation to immigrant families is absolutely too little, too late, as many of their fans or their family members face racial profiling and potential deportation.
It shouldn’t take public shame to show respect to the people who support their team and fill their pockets.
Without the people of the city of Los Angeles, the Dodgers would be nothing, and props to the people who aren’t afraid to let them know that.
Keep holding people with power, money and influence accountable.
