The matchup on Thursday night between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres was clouded by a standoff involving federal immigration authorities, or at least the perception of such a situation.

Earlier in the day, the Dodgers stirred controversy when the team’s official X account reported that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had sought to enter the stadium’s parking lot. The organization denied them entry. "This morning, ICE agents arrived at Dodger Stadium and requested access to the parking lots. They were refused entry to the premises by the organization. The game scheduled for tonight will proceed as planned," the team stated.

Will Dodgers vs Padres be played?

Yes. Scheduled for 7:10 PM PDT, the game between the Dodgers and the Padres was anticipated to attract a crowd exceeding 50,000 fans. The atmosphere surrounding the stadium was already vibrant due to a celebrity softball game organized by All-Star Mookie Betts at 5:30 PM.

In response to the Dodgers' claim of an attempted raid, the Department of Homeland Security promptly refuted the assertion, stating, “This had nothing to do with the Dodgers,” according to the agency's post on X. “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”

An ICE spokesperson informed The New York Post that this incident was not a planned raid but simply a staging area.

Nevertheless, the sight of several DHS vehicles and masked officers near the stadium in the Elysian Park district raised concerns among local residents, particularly given the historically tense relationship between the city and federal immigration agents. Although no arrests were reported, the atmosphere remained charged.

The Los Angeles Times further noted that while the Dodgers did not request the LAPD to remove the federal agents, they did seek assistance when a group of anti-ICE protesters assembled outside the stadium gates later in the day.

On Thursday, Tom Homan, the former border czar under the Trump administration, declared that ICE would recommence workplace raids targeting farms, hotels, and various businesses. “We will focus on worksites on a prioritized basis just as we do during large operations,” Homan stated at the White House.

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