Latest news with #Mexican-born
The Star
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
LA Dodgers say they denied immigration agents access to Dodger Stadium parking lot
A boy on a scooter passes in front of Gate A of Dodger Stadium after ICE officers were denied access to the stadium's parking lot for staging, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Jill Connelly LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The Los Angeles Dodgers said they had denied U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents access to the parking lot at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, in the team's first sign of opposition to immigration raids that have rattled California's largest city. The Dodgers, whose baseball fan base includes a significant Latino contingent, have come under criticism from fans and local media commentators in recent days for not speaking out publicly against raids by immigration agents across Los Angeles. The raids sparked street protests, which in turn prompted President Donald Trump to send in the National Guard and U.S. Marines to protect federal personnel and property, fueling more protests and tension. "This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots," the team said in a post on X. "They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight's game will be played as scheduled." The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said CBP vehicles used the parking lot briefly. "This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. MSNBC showed video of a small number of protesters objecting to the presence of at least four uniformed agents and three vehicles and asking them to remove their facemasks. Los Angeles Times video showed protesters chanting, "Where are the Dodgers?" The Dodgers, coming off a World Series championship in 2024, are a cultural touchstone in Los Angeles. Their Latino fan base has been a large part of the team's identity at least since the "Fernandomania" craze surrounding Mexican-born pitcher Fernando Valenzuela in the early 1980s. After nearly two weeks of silence over the raids, the Dodgers were due on Thursday to announce plans to assist immigrant communities, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a team spokesman. The Dodgers did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. "It's kind of upsetting that they haven't spoken up," Kimberly, a fan who did not want to give her full name, told Reuters at Dodger Stadium before Wednesday night's game. She praised Enrique "Kike" Hernandez, the popular utility player and Puerto Rican native, who recently posted that he could not stand to see the Los Angeles community being "violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart." Hernandez received a huge ovation from the crowd when he came to bat on Wednesday. Lifelong Dodgers fan Dmitri Turner said that while he would like to see the team use its platform to address the "bad things going on" with ICE detentions, he understood that the organization might want to keep its focus on the field. "Maybe they'd rather leave that to the politicians and give the fans what they want, which is good baseball," he said in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. While the immigration raids may appeal to Trump's base of supporters over concerns about border security, many community leaders in heavily Democratic Los Angeles have publicly opposed the operations. Mayor Karen Bass has denounced them as provoking more tension and as harmful to the local economy. Singer Nezza sang the U.S. national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, injecting a form of protest into the patriotic tradition before the baseball game. The professional soccer clubs LAFC and Angel City FC have issued statements of support for immigrants but otherwise the city's sports franchises have refrained from commenting. (Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; editing by Colleen Jenkins and Diane Craft)
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
LA Dodgers say they denied immigration agents access to Dodger Stadium parking lot
Protesters gather at Gate E of Dodger Stadium after ICE officers were denied access to the stadium's parking lot for staging, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Jill Connelly Members of the media report at Gate E of Dodger Stadium after ICE officers were denied access to the stadium's parking lot for staging, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Jill Connelly A boy on a scooter passes in front of Gate A of Dodger Stadium after ICE officers were denied access to the stadium's parking lot for staging, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Jill Connelly LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers said they had denied U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents access to the parking lot at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, in the team's first sign of opposition to immigration raids that have rattled California's largest city. The Dodgers, whose baseball fan base includes a significant Latino contingent, have come under criticism from fans and local media commentators in recent days for not speaking out publicly against raids by immigration agents across Los Angeles. The raids sparked street protests, which in turn prompted President Donald Trump to send in the National Guard and U.S. Marines to protect federal personnel and property, fueling more protests and tension. "This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots," the team said in a post on X. "They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight's game will be played as scheduled." The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said CBP vehicles used the parking lot briefly. "This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. MSNBC showed video of a small number of protesters objecting to the presence of at least four uniformed agents and three vehicles and asking them to remove their facemasks. Los Angeles Times video showed protesters chanting, "Where are the Dodgers?" The Dodgers, coming off a World Series championship in 2024, are a cultural touchstone in Los Angeles. Their Latino fan base has been a large part of the team's identity at least since the "Fernandomania" craze surrounding Mexican-born pitcher Fernando Valenzuela in the early 1980s. After nearly two weeks of silence over the raids, the Dodgers were due on Thursday to announce plans to assist immigrant communities, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a team spokesman. The Dodgers did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. "It's kind of upsetting that they haven't spoken up," Kimberly, a fan who did not want to give her full name, told Reuters at Dodger Stadium before Wednesday night's game. She praised Enrique "Kike" Hernandez, the popular utility player and Puerto Rican native, who recently posted that he could not stand to see the Los Angeles community being "violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart." Hernandez received a huge ovation from the crowd when he came to bat on Wednesday. Lifelong Dodgers fan Dmitri Turner said that while he would like to see the team use its platform to address the "bad things going on" with ICE detentions, he understood that the organization might want to keep its focus on the field. "Maybe they'd rather leave that to the politicians and give the fans what they want, which is good baseball," he said in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. While the immigration raids may appeal to Trump's base of supporters over concerns about border security, many community leaders in heavily Democratic Los Angeles have publicly opposed the operations. Mayor Karen Bass has denounced them as provoking more tension and as harmful to the local economy. Singer Nezza sang the U.S. national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, injecting a form of protest into the patriotic tradition before the baseball game. The professional soccer clubs LAFC and Angel City FC have issued statements of support for immigrants but otherwise the city's sports franchises have refrained from commenting. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
New Chicago-area club bets on padel boom
A new club in Glenview is catering to the growing popularity of the Mexican-born sport of padel. Why it matters: Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports internationally, and enthusiasts say its doubles-only structure makes it great for socializing. Additionally, businesspeople hail it as "the new golf" and consider it great for deal-making. Driving the news: Alma Padel opened in the northwest suburb in April, one of only a few padel courts and clubs in Chicago. Flashback: Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera set up the first-ever padel court in Acapulco in 1969. Zoom in: Alma Padel owner Abigail McCulloch fell in love with padel [pronounced PAH-del] a few years ago as a grad student in Philadelphia. After working with a start-up incubator, she left the East Coast to bring the sport closer to the North Shore, where she grew up. Context: McCulloch tells Axios that Alma caters to current padel players who are looking for a place to play in the Chicago area, but the club is also introducing the sport to athletes and casual players looking for a more athletic and social sport than some other racquet sports. At least two other padel facilities exist in the Chicago area, one in Bridgeport and one in Mundelein. State of play: Padel naturally draws comparisons to pickleball, the racquet sport that has dominated in recent years, but there are plenty of differences. The courts are smaller, and there are no out-of-bounds lines. Players can play the ball off the four walls and it's a game of doubles. The ball is more like a deflated tennis ball rather than pickleball's lightweight ping pong style ball. What they're saying: " People say it's as easy to learn as pickleball, but as hard to truly master as tennis," McCulloch told Axios during a tour of Alma. If you go: Alma Padel has four courts, a juice and cocktail bar, cafe, and other gym amenities like a sauna and yoga classes.
Los Angeles Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Alex Padilla's former roommate on who the senator is
'Hands off! I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary' California's senior senator asserted, as federal agents roughly forced him out of a briefing room. On a carpeted hallway in the federal building in Westwood, bulletproof vest-wearing agents thrust the senator to the ground on his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back. All while a staffer filmed. 'There's no recording allowed out here,' a disembodied voice could be heard repeating, as Padilla's wrists were shoved into the cuffs. Then the image goes dark, as someone — presumably a federal agent — physically blocks the phone camera with his body. The flabbergasting interaction occurred when Padilla, who had been in the building to receive a military briefing, tried to ask a question, interrupting a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Times photographer Luke Johnson was on the scene and captured stunning images. Within minutes of being filmed, it began ricocheting through social media with white-hot fury. Democratic leaders blasted Padilla's treatment as not just despicable, but also indicative of a turning point. Padilla is far from a firebrand. Yes, the Pacoima native has had a dazzling ascent through American politics. But he's known for steady discipline and soft-spoken confidence, rather than bombast and showmanship. Padilla, the son of a Mexican-born housekeeper and a short-order cook, trained as an engineer at MIT before entering politics in his 20s. He was elected to L.A. City Council at just 26, then became the body's youngest council president two years later and, eventually, California's first Latino senator. Former Rep. Tony Cárdenas, another Pacoima-bred son of immigrants, has been close to Padilla for decades and the pair shared an apartment together in D.C. 'I always joke with my friends that as roommates, I would say the neighbors probably knew what my voice sounded like, but never Alex's. He's not the kind of person who raised his voice,' Cárdenas said Thursday, speaking by phone from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as he waited to board a plane back to Los Angeles. 'He doesn't get easily excited at all. He's as cool as they come,' Cárdenas said. At a news briefing later that day, Mayor Karen Bass expressed astonishment about Padilla's treatment. 'In some instances, there's no words,' Bass said. 'This is a sitting U.S. senator.' Today's great photo is from Times contributor Michael Owen Baker at a strawberry farm in Ventura County where an eerie silence hangs over fields in the wake of ICE raids. Julia Wick, staff writerKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Vancouver's Loopy Godinez to face former UFC champion Jessica Andrade in Chicago
Canadian strawweight Loopy Godinez will face former champion Jessica (Bate Estaca) Andrade at UFC 319 in Chicago on Aug. 16. Godinez (13-5-0) is ranked 11th among strawweight (115-pound) contenders while Andrade is ranked fifth among strawweights and ninth among flyweights (125 pounds). Godinez, 31, ended a two-fight losing skid with a win over Brazil's Julia (Psycho) Polastri in March. The Mexican-born, Vancouver-based fighter is 8-5-0 in the UFC. Andrade (26-14-0) won the strawweight title at UFC 237 in May 2019 when she knocked out American Rose (Thug) Namajunas. But she lost to China's Zhang Weili in her first title defence. The Brazilian was stopped by flyweight champion Valentina (Bullet) Shevchenko at UFC 261 in April 2021. Andrade has lost her last two outings and five of her last seven. She was submitted by Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius last time out, at UFC 315 in May in Montreal. Andrade is 17-12-0 in the UFC. The main event at Chicago's United Centre sees South African Dricus du Plessis defend his middleweight title against No. 3 Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.
