Topline:
A crowd of protesters thinned out Thursday afternoon outside Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles Police Department officers had earlier formed a line at one of the entrances
What's going on? The people were there hours after rumors circulated on social media about Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles using the stadium's parking lots.
Read on ... for an explanation of what sparked the protest and more from an LAist reporter at the scene.
A crowd of protesters thinned out Thursday afternoon outside Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles Police Department officers had earlier formed a line at one of the entrances.
Protesters, media and an L.A. City Council member had arrived at the stadium after rumors circulated on social media about Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles using the stadium's parking lots. The tense scene came days after the Dodgers organization faced growing questions about its position on ICE raids from fans. The team was expected to make an announcement about the issue today.
On Thursday afternoon, the official Dodgers X account said the team denied ICE personnel entry into the stadium.
"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 post read. "Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled." First pitch against the San Diego Padres is at 7:10 p.m.
On X, ICE contradicted the team: "False. We were never there."
The social media account of the Department of Homeland Security also weighed in, saying the vehicles were for the Customs and Border Protection: "This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement."
An LAist reporter saw a Border Patrol patch on a masked agent outside the stadium. ICE and CBP are both part of Homeland Security. An LAPD spokesperson couldn't comment on which agencies were present at the stadium, referring only to "federal vehicles."
On Thursday morning, several vehicles were parked on the long sloped road up to the stadium, and five people in tactical gear and face masks could be seen gathered nearby. LAPD officers later escorted those people and their vehicles through the stadium gates.
"LAPD’s role was limited to facilitate safe departure of federal vehicles from the area," a department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that officers were called by the Dodgers to "keep the peace" as the crowd of protesters grew.
City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez spoke to the uniformed members of the LAPD, attempting to defuse the situation. An LAist reporter saw an officer with a less-lethal projectile launcher, as well as police passing out riot helmets to officers.
About an hour later, as the crowd of people waving flags, chanting and playing music thinned out, the police presence lessened too. One squad car parked on the road leading to the stadium left a little left before 1 p.m.
Earlier, a woman with a megaphone led a chant of "ICE out of Echo Park. ICE out of L.A."
Raul Claros, who is running to represent Hernandez's Council District 1 in next year's election, used a megaphone to address the gathered crowd before turning to address the people in tactical gear.
"We walked over here, ran over here because we live here," Claros told those gathered.
The team, affectionately known as "Los Doyers" by many Spanish speakers in L.A., has long had a significant fan base in L.A.'s immigrant communities. The Dodgers have had a Spanish language broadcast since 1958, as long as they've been in L.A.
That relationship has been fraught in recent days. The singer Nezza sang the National Anthem in Spanish on Saturday after a Dodgers employee told her not to. She told the Associated Press she had "no regrets."
"This is my moment to show everyone that I am with them, that we have a voice and with everything that's happening it's not OK," Nezza, 30, said.
The stadium is in Elysian Park, which is also home to the Los Angeles Police Academy, as well as a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps training center. The park north of downtown Los Angeles is known for its forested atmosphere, hilly trails, vistas and picnic areas.