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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Dodgers had been silent as Trump's immigration crackdown roiled LA. Then federal agents arrived outside their parking lot
As one of the City of Angels' first major professional sports teams, the Dodgers are a cornerstone of Southern California culture. Their interlocking LA logo is as iconic as the Hollywood sign, recognized around the world and worn as a symbol of pride by millions of Angelenos. In times of crisis, teams like the Dodgers are usually a rallying point – a unifying force in moments of struggle. But over the last few weeks, as major protests popped up in Los Angeles in response to increased immigration raids by the Trump administration in the Southern California area, the Dodgers became a target of local ire. It was a tough demotion from being the subject of local adoration just months ago during a World Series championship parade. On June 6, raids outside a Home Depot and an apparel warehouse in Los Angeles set off days of protests and, on some nights, clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. President Donald Trump on June 7 deployed National Guard troops to the city to 'temporarily protect ICE' – the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – 'and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions' and to protect federal property, according to a memo – overriding California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called the move a 'brazen abuse of power.' Families have been split, people were arrested by plain-clothes agents wearing masks and hats and Trump and his administration reveled in the chance to clash with Democratic politicians. As fear spread throughout Los Angeles, many of the city's institutions spoke up to defend the undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers who were being picked up by the federal government. But not the Dodgers. The team – whose stadium itself is part of the long story of the Latino experience in Los Angeles, given that the land on which it sits was once home to a Mexican-American neighborhood that fought for years against being displaced – was publicly quiet about the tension gripping its city. That silence infuriated many members of the fanbase, who felt abandoned by their team. 'I just feel like the organization, as a whole, needed to say something. The fanbase is predominantly Latinos, and we have been supporting them forever,' said Amanda Carrera, a Dodgers fan who was demonstrating outside of Dodger Stadium on Thursday. A few dozen people were also protesting as the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres. They shouted to keep 'ICE out of LA' and 'ICE out of Dodger Stadium.' Many expressed anger toward the Dodger organization for remaining silent on the issue plaguing a core part of their fanbase. 'And so why should we keep supporting them if they don't support us?' Carrera asked. 'And, as heartbreaking as it sounds, it's like we love our team so much and it just feels like they don't love us.' It was against that backdrop that federal law enforcement arrived just outside the vast Dodger Stadium parking lot on Thursday. Reports began to circulate that federal agents were present at the stadium outside downtown LA, sparking concerns that the Trump administration's immigration crackdown was coming to the home of the World Series champions hours before a game against the San Diego Padres. Protesters rushed to the area and began chanting anti-ICE slogans at the federal agents. In the team's telling, agents from ICE arrived at Dodger Stadium and asked for permission to access the parking lots. The Dodgers said no. The Trump administration's version of what happened is quite different. US Customs and Border Protection vehicles were in a parking lot on the grounds, and one of them had a car malfunction that caused them to stay longer, according to an official who maintained there were no operations related to the MLB franchise. There has been an influx of CBP agents in the Los Angeles area on the heels of the protests against Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. The Department of Homeland Security surged agency personnel to the region, including border agents, to respond to those protests and many have remained in the area. 'This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,' Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. The ICE account on X even called out the Dodgers directly, saying their post was false. 'We were never there,' the post read. No matter the agency or their purpose, the appearance of federal agents at Dodger Stadium is enough to create a high-profile event, given the atmosphere that is gripping Los Angeles. Some businesses have been closing early, with more customers staying home. As the school year wound down, some students wept openly in class, worried about the future of their families. Relatives stayed away from graduation ceremonies, while some nannies chose to stay close to their employers' homes, only taking the children around the block instead of public parks. Rumors of where ICE will be or how they'll be meeting the White House's demands for more arrests have been rife, not just in LA but around the country. With the FIFA Club World Cup attracting soccer fans to stadiums throughout the US, there have been worries that federal agents could target people coming to the games. So, when reports of federal agents being outside Dodger Stadium began to circulate on Thursday, protesters flocked to the team's complex just outside of downtown Los Angeles. Images from the parking lot outside the stadium showed a line of police blocking protesters from being near the large group of unmarked federal law enforcement vehicles that had gathered in the stadium's expansive concrete apron. With the White House expecting ICE to arrest 3,000 people per day and Los Angeles-area officials telling the public that they don't have any idea where federal agents will pop up next, the entire area is on edge. Carerra said she's organizing a protest later this week and she hears mixed things about whether people actually want to be in public. 'The community has voted to protest. They want to come out and do it, but I think that there is the other half that's scared,' she said. 'It's scary when you see images and videos of people being kidnapped. You know, I mean, ICE agents, unmarked vehicles, masks covering their face. … We don't even know who to trust. We don't know, like, are these actually, actual agents or not, you know? So, there's a lot of fear. It's horrible. It's so just heartbreaking.' That tension meant many fans lashed out at the Dodgers for not having done more to express support for their fans, many of whom are Latino. The replies to the Dodgers' X account were full of fans demanding the team say something condemning the federal government's actions or – at the very least – express support for the immigrant community in LA. Al Aguilar, who was standing outside Dodger Stadium with a sign that read 'Los Doyers Silent? Silent' on Thursday afternoon, said the team's history in LA should make it more understanding of the pressure on the community. He said the Dodgers buying the Chavez Ravine land at a discounted price and the eviction of the final families remaining on the land came with the stipulation that the stadium would be used for the community. He said Latinos largely stayed away from the team until Fernandomania – the debut of Dodger legend Fernando Valenzuela and his subsequent success – in 1981 made fans for life. That history isn't forgotten today, he said. 'Nothing was said. They were silent about the issues going on, not even taking sides. They could say, 'We believe in equal rights, constitutional rights, due process,' without taking sides, just those things, but they didn't say anything,' Aguilar told CNN. He added, 'With the amount of Latin American players that they have, with the community being behind them all these years, being (forgiven) – if you were thrown out of your houses and dragged out for a sports franchise that interrupted the community, you might have feelings about that.' When singer Nezza performed the National Anthem ahead of a game last weekend, as 'No Kings' protests were taking place around the nation and LA was enduring another weekend of protests, she decided to do so in Spanish. What sparked more outrage against the Dodgers was the fact that she said a Dodgers employee specifically asked her not to. 'I didn't really see an issue with it and I wanted people to know that I'm with them and I'm standing by them,' Nezza told CNN on Tuesday. An unidentified person, who Nezza says is a Dodgers employee, can be heard on a video saying to the singer, 'We are going to do the song in English today, so I'm not sure if that wasn't relayed.' Following her performance, the Dodgers employee – who she would not name – called Nezza's manager almost immediately and told them to never call or email them again, and that their client was not welcome back, according to the singer. The Dodgers have said publicly that there are 'no consequences or hard feelings' regarding her performance and that she is not banned from – and welcome to return to – the stadium. Nezza, whose parents are both immigrants, said she hasn't been contacted by the team and doesn't plan on attending the stadium again. 'I don't feel welcome to come back,' she said. Carerra said that attitude from the team confused and angered many fans. 'That's kind of what's been the confusion because they have spoken out against or regarding other social issues before,' she told CNN. 'They've made statements before about things, and so, you know, the fact that it's taking them this long is just, it's very confusing, and it hurts.' That frustration with the organization could ease among fans after Thursday's confrontation with the Trump administration. The back and forth with the administration came on the same day that the team was expected to release a statement on how it plans to support immigrants in the Los Angeles area affected by the immigration crackdown. Gary Lee, the founder of said silence is the Dodgers' 'default position' on the immigration crackdown, but the plan for an announcement by the team on how it plans to assist immigrants in the area was a relief. 'The Dodgers have arguably been more culturally influential to the city of Los Angeles' than other sports franchises, Lee said, 'so there seems to be more responsibility to the community on their shoulders than any other franchise, including the Lakers.' But after Thursday's incident with federal agents, the planned announcement didn't materialize. For some fans, the damage is done regardless of what the team says. Carerra told CNN that the amount of public pressure on the Dodgers has her questioning the team in ways she never would have before. Even if the Dodgers made a strong statement of support or really threw federal agents off Dodger Stadium property on Thursday, she's now wondering if it's all a public relations move. 'It's like, can we even trust them? Like, can we trust them up to this point that what they're doing isn't just to kind of, you know, protect themselves, and that sucks. I hate that it has to get to this point,' she said. CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to note that the Dodgers were not the first major professional sports team in Los Angeles.
New York Post
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
US Attorney for NY John Sarcone claims knife-wielding illegal migrant who threatened him ‘was going to kill somebody'
US attorney for New York John Sarcone claimed Friday that a knife-wielding illegal Salvadoran migrant who was charged with threatening to slit his throat was 'going to kill somebody' if he didn't step up to help get him off the streets. Sarcone, the President Trump-appointed US attorney for the Northern District of New York, allegedly encountered a 'crazy' Saul Morales-Garcia — a previously deported illegal migrant from El Salvador — outside the Hilton Hotel in Albany on Tuesday night. Detailing the encounter, Sarcone said Morales-Garcia, 40, aggressively lunged at him multiple times on the street while screaming in a 'foreign language' before he gestured he would slice his throat. Advertisement 'I knew that if he got away, he was going to kill somebody,' Sarcone told Fox News' 'Fox & Friends.' 'I could have easily just kept walking but I sensed that there was danger here.' 3 US Attorney for the Northern District John Sarcone was allegedly threatened by a knife-wielding illegal migrant in Albany on Tuesday. Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Advertisement Sarcone said he noticed Morales-Garcia after leaving his office in downtown Albany and decided to keep an eye on him because he 'definitely appeared to be up to something crazy.' The federal prosecutor said he stopped outside the hotel to keep watch when the illegal migrant allegedly started screaming at him. 'I didn't acknowledge him. I kept looking straight ahead. Then out of the corner of my eye, he starts coming towards me. I turned, I look at him. I still don't say anything and then he pulls a knife out. He is screaming at me and then he charges at me,' Sarcone recalled. Sarcone said he started running to the hotel lobby before the alleged perp suddenly stopped and started walking away. Advertisement The prosecutor immediately called the local sheriff on his personal line to alert him. 3 The knife allegedly used in Tuesday night's incident. Albany County Sheriff's Office While waiting for law enforcement to arrive, Sarcone said he went back to the street and yelled out to Garcia-Morales to get his attention and prevent him from disappearing. A screaming Morales-Garcia then allegedly charged at Sarcone yet again while making a throat-slitting gesture at Sarcone with the blade. Advertisement 'I felt an obligation to the public as the chief Federal law enforcement officer in the district that includes the city of Albany,' Sarcone said in a statement in the wake of the alleged ordeal. 'I feared for my life but I couldn't let this individual harm and potentially kill others.' Morales-Garcia was taken into custody immediately after cops arrived on the scene, prosecutors said. 3 Saul Morales-Garcia, 40, was charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly threatening to slit the throat of US Attorney John Sarcone. Albany County Sheriff's Office 'US Attorney John Sarcone's selfless actions likely saved lives,' Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said. The alleged attempted slasher has been in the US illegally since 2021 after previously being deported. He has a criminal rap sheet in at least three other states outside New York, according to prosecutors. Sarcone said Gov. Kathy Hochul had called him in the wake of the alleged attack after GOP lawmakers started blasting the state's sanctuary city laws. 'She was very sympathetic and concerned and I said 'these sanctuary cities aren't working',' he said of the phone call with Hochul. Advertisement Morales-Garcia has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and menacing in the second degree. He was remanded without bail following an initial hearing in Albany City Court.
UPI
12 hours ago
- Politics
- UPI
Judge stops Trump from tying DOT funds to immigration enforcement
Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation Sean Duffy testifies at a House committee on May 14, 2025. On Thursday, a judge issued a preliminary injunction against his directive tying department grants to states' compliance with federal immigration enforcement policies. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo June 20 (UPI) -- A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to make federal transportation funding contingent on state compliance with his immigration policies. In his ruling Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Providence, R.I., said not only does the Department of Transportation lack the authority to tie grant funding to immigration enforcement, but the directive also usurps Congress' power of the purse while being "arbitrary and capricious." "Congress did not authorize or grant authority to the Secretary of Transportation to impose immigration enforcement conditions on federal dollars specifically appropriated for transportation purposes," the President Barack Obama appointee said in his brief ruling. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by 20 state attorneys general challenging an April 24 directive sent to all Department of Transportation funding receipts, stating they must comply with an Immigration Enforcement Condition when applying for future grants. The letter specifies that as recipients, they have "entered into legally enforceable agreements with the United States Government and are obligated to comply fully with all applicable Federal laws and regulations," particularly those relating to immigration enforcement and diversity, equity and inclusion policies. "Adherence to your legal obligations is a prerequisite for receipt of DOT financial assistance," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's letter states. "Noncompliance with applicable Federal laws, or failure to cooperate generally with Federal authorities in the enforcement of Federal law, will jeopardize your continued receipt of Federal financial assistance from DOT and could lead to a loss of Federal funding from DOT." The 20 Democrat-led states filed their lawsuit against the directive in May, arguing the Department of Transportation has no authority to tie grants to federal civil immigration enforcement, as the two are unrelated. In his ruling, McConnell agreed with the plaintiffs. "The IEC, backed by the Duffy Directive, is arbitrary and capricious in its scope and lacks specificity in how the States are to cooperate on immigration enforcement in exchange for Congressionally appropriated transportation dollars -- grant money that the States rely on to keep their residents safely and efficiently on the road, in the sky and on the rails," he said. "[T]he IEC is not at all reasonably related to the transportation funding program grants." California Attorney General Rob Bonta applauded the ruling while chastising Trump for "threatening to withhold critical transportation funds unless states agree to carry out his inhumane and illogical immigration agenda. "It's immoral -- and more importantly, illegal," the Democrat said. "I'm glad the District Court agrees, blocking the President's latest attempt to circumvent the Constitution and coerce state and local governments into doing his bidding while we continue to make our case in court." Since returning to the White House, Trump has led a crackdown on immigration, with many of his policies being challenged in court. Late Thursday, an appeals court handed Trump a victory in the battle, permitting California National Guard troops to remain deployed on Los Angeles streets amid protests against his immigration policies. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to continue to fight what he called "President Trump's authoritarian use of U.S. military soldiers."
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
ICE imposes new rules on congressional visits
Advertisement The new protocol, updated since February, comes as Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly been denied access to ICE facilities this month as they try to conduct congressional oversight, and amid high-profile clashes between federal immigration officials and members of Congress. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Democratic lawmakers in California, Illinois and New York have been turned away from ICE facilities recently, sometimes after trying in vain for hours to gain access to buildings that they say they are authorized to visit. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was Advertisement Law enforcement officers from a variety of agencies deployed at Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention center in Newark, amid protests outside the facility on June 13. DAKOTA SANTIAGO/NYT Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, criticized the new ICE policy as an attempt to skirt congressional oversight. In a statement, he said the new guidance was 'an affront to the Constitution and Federal law.' Thompson singled out the guidance on field offices, which he called a 'smoke screen' to prevent members from visiting offices that 'are holding migrants — and sometimes even U.S. citizens — for days at a time.' Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The new guidance spilled into public view more clearly Wednesday. In suburban Chicago, four Democratic representatives were denied access to an immigration processing facility in suburban Chicago where they believed immigrants were being held for days without access to lawyers. Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Dan Goldman, both D-N.Y., were both denied access to an ICE office in Manhattan, even as an official acknowledged that detainees were held there overnight. Both men said they requested a visit in advance. 'We were told not to,' William Joyce, the deputy director of the New York ICE field office, told them during an exchange in the building's lobby. In an email to a congressional office this week, an ICE official said that federal immigration officials were 'not facilitating any visits to ICE Field Offices or suboffices' currently because of their 'high operations tempo,' according to a congressional aide who was not authorized to discuss the message publicly. New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler (right) and Rep. Dan Goldman spoke at a news conference in Lower Manhattan after being barred Wednesday from entering and inspecting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding cells. Spencer Platt/Getty Democratic lawmakers have said that the Trump administration's escalation is precisely the reason they want to visit facilities, and that the federal government's large-scale immigration crackdown and accelerated deportation efforts demand more thorough oversight. Advertisement For months, Democrats have framed their efforts to access immigration detention and enforcement facilities as part of their constitutional duties to provide a check on the expansion of presidential power. Under the new guidance, ICE also asks for at least 72 hours' notice for a visit to its facilities. Existing guidance already required congressional staff to provide at least 24 hours' notice before visiting a detention facility. The agency also explicitly says that visitors cannot 'have any physical or verbal contact with any person in ICE detention facilities' without prior approval, and that violating that policy could lead to tours being cut short. This article originally appeared in .
Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's National Park Tip Line Flooded With Angry Messages
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A tip line set up at national parks and monuments by the Trump administration has been flooded with angry visitors. The Trump administration has been asking national park visitors to report any language they see in the parks that is "negative about either past or living Americans or that fails to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes." They can do this via a QR code link attached to signs. According to National Park Service (NPS) sources who spoke with Government Executive, over 200 people have responded to the signs, but none have followed the prompt. Instead, they are using the QR code page to say they find the request "outrageous." Their responses have not been independently verified by Newsweek. A Department of the Interior spokesperson told Newsweek: "It is a true shame that employees are spending their time leaking to the media instead of doing work for the American people. The same American people who fund their paychecks. Leaks will not be tolerated and this will be investigated." Main: A National Park Service sign on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Inset: A protester waves an upside-down American flag in front of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. Main: A National Park Service sign on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Inset: A protester waves an upside-down American flag in front of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. Main: Jed Jacobsohn, Inset: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo Why It Matters Pushback from national park-goers suggests that many people are unhappy about the attempt to revise language related to American history. During President Donald Trump's second presidency, his administration has designated English as the national language, removed hundreds of books from military libraries that are about race relations and LGBTQ+ history in the United States, and reverted military bases to their Confederate names. The Trump administration has also removed mentions of transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website, despite a transgender woman being the person who initiated the riot. What To Know National park visitors have started to notice signs going up asking them to report language in the parks that discusses America's past or present in a negative light. It follows Trump's executive order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which says: "It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing." Visitors who respond to the tip line have not been afraid to voice their genuine opinions, according to emails obtained by Government Executive. One email reads: "The executive for feedback is ****. Parks already do an amazing job telling stories that contain hard truths and everyone is entitled to the truth to make better decisions in our lives. So what if people feel bad?" Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as seen on April 17, 2023. Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as seen on April 17, 2023. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo Another person said in a feedback note to NPS after visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia: "What upset me the most about the museum—more than anything in the actual exhibits—were the signs telling people to report anything they thought was negative about Americans. "That isn't just frustrating, it's outrageous. It felt like an open invitation to police and attack historians for simply doing their jobs: telling the truth." Many people have pointed out how several monuments and parks, such as Stonewall and the Manzanar National Historical Site, a former Japanese internment camp, serve to educate Americans on negative aspects of history so that the same mistakes are not made again. The act used to intern Japanese-Americans en masse in camps was the Alien Enemies Act, now being used by the Trump administration to enable the mass detention and deportation of undocumented people. This executive order has been criticized by the National Parks Conservation Association, with Alan Spears, senior director of Cultural Resources, saying: "The president's executive order could jeopardize the Park Service's mission to protect and interpret American American who cares about our country's history should be worried about what people, places, and themes disappear next." A National Park Service sign marks the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 17, 2024. A National Park Service sign marks the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 17, 2024. Pamela Smith, File/AP Photo What People Are Saying An email sent by an Independence Hall visitor obtained by Government Executive: "Putting up signs like that doesn't protect anyone, [it] just tells visitors that the truth is a problem. And I can't think of anything more offensive than that." Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, told Government Executive: "If our country erases the darker chapters of our history, we will never learn from our mistakes. These signs must come down immediately." Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association senior director of Cultural Resources, said in a press release: "For more than a century, National Park Service staff have worked tirelessly to provide park visitors with a truthful accounting of the people and places at the center of that history. That truthful and factual accounting of history should not change, regardless of which political party is in power." Executive Order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History: "Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history." What Happens Next Trump's executive order also calls for changes to Smithsonian Museum displays and exhibits. Visitors are likely to continue encountering these signs throughout the summer, when the parks are at their busiest.
