On June 19, 2025, reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at the gates of Dodger Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, surfaced online.
News of the apparent situation spread quickly on social media, with users on platforms such as TikTok (archived), X (archived), Instagram (archived) and Reddit sharing video footage and images of the alleged ICE agents at one of the stadium's main gates. Many posts claimed the agents were using the area as a staging location for upcoming operations.
According to news outlets on the scene at the time, the reports of alleged ICE activity at the stadium resulted in a small group of activists arriving there to protest.
@jeawok_media ICE agents were recently denied entry to Dodger Stadium by security staff while attempting to detain an individual attending a game. According to reports, the agents were not allowed past the entrance gates due to a lack of proper documentation and coordination with stadium security. The incident sparked questions about the limits of federal enforcement on private property and raised concerns over the visibility and impact of immigration enforcement actions in public venues. The Dodgers organization has not issued a detailed statement but emphasized their commitment to fan safety and compliance with local laws. The refusal to admit ICE agents without a warrant aligns with a broader trend in California of protecting immigrant rights and limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The event has reignited debates over sanctuary policies, federal overreach, and how sports venues handle law enforcement actions during public events. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? . . #ice #protests #protest #losangeles #dodgers #trending #fyp #fypシ #jeawok #jeawokmedia ♬ Así Fue - En Vivo Desde Bellas Artes, México/ 2013 - Juan Gabriel
During the incident, Los Angeles City Council member Eunisses Hernandez told local news station KABC:
"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. 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."
According to some accounts, the Los Angeles Police Department eventually escorted the alleged ICE agents away from the stadium at the request of the Dodgers. The LAPD confirmed this to Snopes via email but said the department was initially called to address the "growing crowd of protestors."
Their full statement read:
On 6/19/2025, around 10:28 a.m., in the 1000 block of Vin Scully Ave, LAPD Northeast officers were requested to the Dodgers Stadium parking lot, at the request of the Dodgers, to address a growing crowd of protestors outside of the parking lot. LAPD officers arrived and assisted with keeping the peace. The LAPD's role was limited to facilitating the safe departure of the vehicles from the area.
What happened after law enforcement left
After authorities left Dodger Stadium, the baseball team and multiple federal agencies made public comments about the situation.
At 12:12 p.m., the Dodgers posted on X (archived): "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. Tonight's game will be played as scheduled."
At 12:49 p.m. the Department of Homeland Security (archived) shared the Dodgers' post and added, "CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement."
At 1:39 p.m. the ICE X account (archived) also shared the Dodgers' post, adding "False. We were never there."
The Los Angeles Times reported the LAPD "said federal agents had gathered near the stadium to conduct a briefing but had left by the time images of the gathering began circulating on social media."
Further, the newspaper reported some of the vehicles seen at Dodgers Stadium were also present in a raid at a Hollywood Home Depot identified by their license plates, but Snopes has not been able to independently verify this claim.
The raid in question was carried out earlier that day. CBP officers "arrested 30 illegal aliens in Hollywood, California, and 9 illegal aliens in San Fernando and Pacoima," according to a statement from Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
According to an activist at Dodger Stadium interviewed by CNN, the alleged agents at the stadium had transported detainees there from the raid for processing. The witness told CNN, "I asked what they were doing. He responded that they bring the detainees there to process them. … They conduct their investigation there without public interference … that they can't do it in the Home Depot parking lot because the public makes it too dangerous.'"
Confusion about which agency
The confusion about which agency the officers belonged to appears to stem from ICE officers wearing masks and no identifiable law enforcement uniform during their operations. As a result, it was difficult to assess which agency was actually responsible.
California state Sen. Scott Wiener even seemed to suggest the agents could have been neither ICE nor CBP, posting to X (archived), "ICE says it wasn't them. DHS says it's Border Patrol. But honestly who the hell knows? They've given permission for any psycho to put on a ski mask, point a gun, grab people & throw them into an unmarked car."
Community members and fans have been vocal about the Dodgers organization for not taking a stand on the immigration raids in the LA area in June 2025. The team previously said it would announce plans to help immigrant communities in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The announcement was planned for June 19, 2025, but the Los Angeles Times reported Dodgers President Stan Kasten said, after the events of that morning, that it would be delayed.
When reached for comment, DHS repeated to Snopes the statement posted to X. The Los Angeles Dodgers, ICE and CBP have not responded to our requests for comment but we will update this article if we hear back.