The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated $1 million to assist families impacted by two weeks of immigration raids in Southern California. The defending World Series champions also said Friday that they intend to form partnerships with the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and other organizations to continue providing aid to immigrant families, per the AP. "What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected," Dodgers President Stan Kasten said. "We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles."
The Dodgers announced the steps in a five-paragraph release that was delicately worded to avoid potentially inflammatory political terms, and which stopped short of an explicit condemnation of the federal policy. The team said only that the financial aid would be provided "for families of immigrants impacted by recent events in the region." "I think it's great," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I'm sure the money is going to be allocated in the right way. ... It's certainly the right thing to do."
The Dodgers were briefly at the center of Southern California's opposition to federal immigration policy when the team asked dozens of federal agents to leave stadium grounds on Thursday after they amassed at a parking lot near one of the gates. The agents arrived in SUVs and cargo vans with their faces covered. A group of protesters carrying signs against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived shortly afterward, and the agents eventually left. Roberts claimed his players haven't extensively discussed the situation in the clubhouse, but some Dodgers have been paying attention: Kike Hernandez, for instance, a Puerto Rico native, sharply criticized the raids on social media last weekend.
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LA Mayor Karen Bass praised the Dodgers in the team's news release. "I want to thank the Dodgers for leading with this action to support the immigrant community of Los Angeles," Bass said. Meanwhile, US Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who represents the Los Angeles area, went on social media earlier Friday to ask the Dodgers to speak up. "In a city where 36% of the residents are immigrants and nearly 40% of the team's fan base is Latino, saying nothing is not just disappointing—it's a betrayal and an insult," Gomez wrote. "Silence is not an option. It's a choice."
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