Latest news with #CustomsAndBorderProtection
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Dodgers Say They Turned Away ICE Agents, But ICE Disputes It
The Los Angeles Dodgers waded into controversy on June 19, when they wrote on their X page that they had turned away ICE agents at their parking lot, and ICE quickly labeled the Dodgers' statement "false." "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 Dodgers wrote in a statement posted on X. Tonight's game will be played as scheduled." The post quickly reached more than 7 million views on X. The post brought a sharp response from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which responded on X, "This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement." CBP stands for U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency also fired back, writing on X, "False. We were never there." The situation sparked additional conflicting reports. According to ESPN, "Dozens of federal agents with their faces covered arrived in SUVs and cargo vans to a lot near the stadium's Gate E entrance," and protesters with signs criticizing ICE "started amassing shortly after." "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," Tricia McLaughlin, a public affairs professional for Homeland Security, told ESPN. Eunisses Hernandez, a Los Angeles City Council member, told NBC News that she received calls on the morning of June 19 that "federal agents were staging here at the entrance of Dodgers Stadium. We got pictures of dozens of vehicles and dozens of agents."Los Angeles Dodgers Say They Turned Away ICE Agents, But ICE Disputes It first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 19, 2025
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Dodgers say they denied federal immigration officials access to Dodger Stadium parking lots
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers said they denied federal immigration officials access to the area around the team's stadium on Thursday morning, hours after The Athletic and other outlets reported the team's plans to announce assistance to immigrants impacted by recent militarized raids in the city. Advertisement 'This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots,' the organization posted on X. 'They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization.' The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Customs and Border Protection 'vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.' DHS said that the activity 'had nothing to do with the Dodgers.' ICE, which is overseen by DHS, told The Athletic in a statement Thursday that the agency was never at Dodger Stadium. In recent immigration raids, ICE and other federal officials have sometimes operated in unmarked cars. Social media videos from Dodger Stadium appear to show some unmarked white vans with unclear markings. The Dodgers, who are set to host the San Diego Padres on Thursday night, said the game will be played as scheduled. Images began circulating on social media Thursday morning of unmarked white vans and masked agents parked out in front of the Dodger Stadium gates. ICE has recently cracked down on immigrants in the city as part of President Donald Trump's push to reduce immigration, leading to protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the U.S. While Trump was running for his second term, he promised to 'carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.' The Dodgers' statement on Thursday marked the organization's first public comments since the raids began on June 6. The organization was expected to announce details of its plans to assist immigrant groups on Thursday afternoon. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers asked local police to intervene after a group of protesters showed up to the area on Thursday morning. Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen previously told The Los Angeles Times, 'We're not going to comment' on the ongoing ICE raids, with Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC being the lone Los Angeles professional sports franchises to issue any form of statement. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called the events in Los Angeles 'unsettling' before deferring any further statement, saying, 'I haven't dug enough and can't speak intelligently on it.' Advertisement Kiké Hernández has been the lone Dodgers player to issue a public statement on the matter, posting on Instagram on Saturday night to give his support to the immigrant communities affected. 'I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own,' Hernández wrote in his post. 'I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love. This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants.' Jaime Jarrín, the Dodgers' iconic former Spanish-language broadcaster, took to Instagram on Tuesday, writing: 'As an immigrant who came to this country 70 years ago, I know firsthand the hope, courage, and determination it takes to build a new life in a new land. I've always believed that immigration isn't just part of the American story; it is the American story.' The Dodgers also received backlash this week after singer and social media personality Nezza opted to perform the official Spanish version of the United States national anthem at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night, later posting a video showing an unidentified Dodgers employee telling her not to do it. Nezza, also known as Vanessa Hernández, proceeded with a rendition of 'El Pendón Estrellado,' the official Spanish version commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945. Nezza's performance came in the middle of nationwide 'No Kings' protests against the Trump administration, countering a military parade in Washington. She told CNN's 'The Lead' this week that the Dodgers 'called and said, 'Don't ever call us again. Don't ever email us again. The rest of your clients are never welcome here again.' So for me, that kind of feels like a ban.' Advertisement When asked this week about Nezza's video, a team spokesperson assured there were 'no hard feelings' and that the singer was not banned from the stadium. The outcry, which included prominent Latin voices such as artist Becky G, has spurred calls and plans for a protest at the ballpark Saturday afternoon.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE agents denied entry to Dodger Stadium parking lot, team says
A line of unmarked white vans and SUVs at Dodger Stadium sparked a wave of speculation online about immigration enforcement at the stadium Thursday, but team officials say the agents were denied entry. In photos posted on social media, the vehicles appeared to be staging near the downtown parking lot entrance to the stadium, which was empty Thursday morning except for a small contingent of local media. Images of the government vehicles immediately played out on social media and fueled speculation about their activities. The agents declined to say why they were at the stadium when asked by a Times reporter. According to a statement by the team, the agents were denied entry to the Dodger Stadium grounds when they attempted to enter the parking lots. "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," the statement said. The agents were at the location only briefly, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. "This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. [U.S. Customs and Border Patrol] vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement," the agency said. A Los Angeles Police Department source denied that the department received a request from the Dodgers to remove federal agents from the stadium grounds. 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, the source said. The Dodgers did, however, ask police to intervene after a group of protesters showed up to the area, according to the source, who requested anonymity in order to discuss internal matters. Among those outside the stadium were members of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA. 'The fact that these raids continue is what we Angelenos should be very concerned about,' said CHIRLA member Jorge-Mario Cabrera, who was in contact with fellow members monitoring activity at the stadium Thursday. 'Dodger stadium is a place where Angeleno families come and have fun." The parking lot is jointly owned by the Dodgers' ownership group and the team's former owner, billionaire Frank McCourt. The Dodgers have been under pressure since the raids began this month to make a statement in support of immigrants. On Wednesday, the team said it intended to announce plans Thursday to assist the immigrant communities recently affected in Los Angeles. Singer and social media personality Nezza sang a Spanish version of the national anthem at Dodger Stadium in an act of protest against the immigration raids, despite being asked by a team employee to sing in English. Staff writers Libor Jany, Andrew Campa and Bill Shaikin contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Irish Times
Travelling to the US and need to detox your phone? Here's how
Enter your name into any search engine and you'll quickly find dozens of results. In the online era, our social media handles, place of work, even family members and addresses can easily be uncovered within a couple of clicks. A few minutes of digging and the jigsaw puzzle of your life is pieced together and laid bare for all to see. Digital footprints have become a bigger-than-ever talking point for those looking to visit the US. Recent developments allow for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to carry out searches of mobile phones at checkpoints. It was announced today that students will be asked to unlock social media profiles to allow officials to review their online activity before being granted educational and exchange visas. Failing to do so means being suspected of hiding activity from US officials. Among the reasons for checks being carried out are 'any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States'. Online forums are blowing up with questions about how to sanitise devices and digital footprints in advance of visa requests or before entering the country. Here are a few steps you can take to reduce the risk of being turned away. READ MORE Now that you've hopefully taken a few deep breaths, assess your surface-level online presence. Consider deleting any social media posts that raise red flags. A simple principle to go by with your device is 'out of sight out of mind'. Don't underestimate the power of a printed boarding pass, and carrying travel documents with you in paper format. Turn your phone off and stow it away in your bag or pocket before approaching a CBP agent, cross your fingers and hope to fly under the radar. However, it's advisable to be more thorough with your methods. Expert suggestions range from pre-screening and making modifications to your personal smartphone before travelling – including deleting incriminating photos, messages and inessential apps – to investing in a clean travel device. When it comes to modifying your current phone, Apple and Google have recently made it possible to add an extra shield of authentication to apps you may want to hide by placing them in a separate folder. [ Direct flights to Cancún may say more about the US than Mexico Opens in new window ] Android's 'private spaces' can also be turned on in the security and privacy settings menu of your phone, while prolonged pressing of an app on iOS will present the option to place it in a hidden folder. Do with that information what you like. Now it might sound extreme, but privacy and digital rights advocates largely favour building a travel device from scratch. In saying that, it's important to beware that a phone that is too squeaky clean can arouse suspicion, doing more harm than good. [ 'My sister is ill in Ireland, but we are suspending our travel plans': Irish in US voice fear over border arrests Opens in new window ] Starting off with a clean slate is one way to practise 'data minimisation', reducing the data available to another person. Put just what you'll need for a trip on the phone; maybe you want to include alternate social media accounts [ie a 'finsta' – a fake Insta(gram) account where you haven't posted anything that could be deemed controversial] and a separate account for end-to-end encrypted communications using an app like WhatsApp. By building from the ground up, you're able to be selective with what can potentially turn up during a manual search. In cases where CBP deems 'reasonable suspicion' of a crime, it may say a more thorough 'advanced search' could be carried out. This is where a device is connected to external equipment and its contents can be reviewed, copied, or analysed. Digital rights groups like San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation have developed a range of in-depth tool kits dedicated to promoting ' surveillance self-defence '. While it is yet to be seen how hard US border control will be clamping down, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Border Patrol agents shut down massive drug smuggling tunnel between Tijuana and San Diego
U.S. Border Patrol agents recently discovered and disabled a nearly 3,000-foot-long narcotics smuggling tunnel sitting beneath the US-Mexico border. Agents found the tunnel — which linked Tijuana and San Diego — in early April while it was actively under construction. The underground passageway ran under part of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and had a projected exit point near or inside a commercial warehouse space in San Diego, according to an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Upon entering the "highly sophisticated" tunnel, authorities were met with barricades seemingly placed to prevent law enforcement from finding its entrance, the announcement noted. The tunnel — which reached depths of around 50 feet underground at its deepest point — measured 2,918 feet long, 42 inches tall and 28 inches wide. It was equipped with lighting, electrical wiring, ventilation systems and a track system for transporting large amounts of contraband. Border Patrol agents — working alongside Homeland Security Investigations and Government of Mexico authorities — found the entrance point to the tunnel on Monday inside a house in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood in Tijuana. The entrance had recently been covered up with freshly laid tile, according to the announcement. Thousands of gallons of concrete will soon be poured into the tunnel to prevent it from being used by Foreign Terrorist Organizations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted. "As we continue to strengthen the nation's air and maritime border security, it's not surprising that foreign terrorist organizations would resort to underground routes," Jeffrey D. Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego Sector, said in a statement. "Disruption of narcotics smuggling tunnels is critical to protecting American lives." More than 95 tunnels have been decommissioned in the San Diego area since 1993. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
