The Los Angeles Dodgers accused ICE of showing up at a game to round up illegal immigrants, but the agency said the claim was false.
Tensions were high at Dodger Stadium Thursday after the Los Angeles Dodgers blocked access to federal agents who arrived outside the stadium’s Gate E in a convoy of cargo vans and SUVs.
The team claimed ICE agents requested entry and were denied, while federal agencies disputed that version of events.
In a statement shared to social media, the Dodgers explained, “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.”
False. We were never there. https://t.co/ZquYiW0miQ
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 19, 2025
Shortly after, several protesters gathered near the stadium, some carrying anti-ICE signage and chanting slogans like “ICE out of LA.”
The controversy intensified when Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a flat denial. “False,” the agency wrote on Twitter. “We were never there.”
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, clarified that the agents were from Customs and Border Protection, not ICE.
According to McLaughlin, “[CBP] vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” and she stated the visit “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
As the back-and-forth between the team and federal authorities played out, tensions spilled into the evening game between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.
One female fan was reportedly escorted out of the stadium by security after displaying a sign reading “ICE out of LA.” Video posted online showed fellow fans cheering as she was led away.
Security appears to be escorting a fan out holding a sign that says “ICE out of LA.” pic.twitter.com/jLPaQcl8p1
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 20, 2025
By Thursday afternoon, about four federal agents remained near the lot while LAPD officers formed a barrier between the crowd of demonstrators and the officials.
Los Angeles City Council member Eunisses Hernandez was also seen at the scene and said she had been coordinating with Dodgers personnel and city officials.
“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.
Jack Little hits Fernando Tatis Jr. and the benches have cleared in the Padres-Dodgers game 😳pic.twitter.com/h37DEfRSxf
— Pikkit (@pikkitsports) June 20, 2025
Inside the stadium, tempers flared on the field as well. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Padres skipper Mike Shildt were both ejected following a volatile seven-game series that saw ten batters hit.
Off the field, the controversy continued to build when singer Vanessa Hernandez, who performs under the stage name Nezza, revealed she received death threats following her decision to sing the national anthem in Spanish during a game last Saturday.
"Para mi gente." Singer Nezza says she ignored requests to sing the national anthem in English at an LA Dodgers game. See her now viral rendition. pic.twitter.com/9QoYrNGcRT
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 18, 2025
The Dominican-American artist claimed that team officials had requested she perform the anthem in English, but she defied that instruction as an act of solidarity with the ICE protests happening across Los Angeles.
Nezza told TMZ she stood by her decision to perform the song in Spanish.
“I already knew in my heart that what I did was right but this triple confirms it for me,” the singer told the outlet.
She added that the backlash was outweighed by the positive messages she received.
“I have received quite the backlash but it’s been way more positive and love so that kind of outweighs that.”
She acknowledged that the reaction included online threats. “The death threats are one thing, but that’s just the internet,” Nezza remarked.
“I’m taking that as that is going to come from something like this. Anything that involves politics is going to involve a death threat.”
Some critics reportedly found her anthem performance “disrespectful,” but Nezza dismissed that accusation, saying, “I don’t think it was because the lyrics are the exact same as the English version.”
Singer Nezza was told by the Dodgers to sing the National Anthem in English but she sang it in spanish to protest ICE.
She then gets very emotional and cries over ICE deporting criminals who are in our country illegally. pic.twitter.com/1sTDbXx3aT
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 15, 2025
She further defended her patriotism, saying, “I am a proud American. I was born here, raised here, my dreams came true here in LA and I think being a proud American and still wanting better for your country can be the same truth.”
A viral TikTok clip showed her being told by a Dodgers official to sing in English, which she ignored.
She later posted an emotional follow-up, suggesting she may no longer be welcome at the stadium: “Safe to say I am never allowed in that stadium again.”
However, according to a follow-up report, she has not been banned from Dodger Stadium despite going against team instructions.