Dodgers Fulfill $1-million Pledge In Response To Ice Raids, Owners Divest From Prison Group

The Dodgers’ determination to contradict U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents entree to Dodger Stadium wasn’t nan measurement nan squad intended to first reside nan surge of national migration enforcement a twelvemonth ago.

Pressed by religious, labour and organization leaders to return a stand, nan Dodgers had prepared a consequence to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol raids that triggered wide protests — only to shelve nan announcement arsenic nan squad went public pinch their refusal to fto national agents onto stadium grounds. A time later, connected June 20, nan Dodgers unveiled their plan, centered connected $1 cardinal “toward nonstop financial assistance for families of immigrants impacted by caller events successful nan region.”

In total, nan Dodgers donated $1.1 million, representatives for California Community Foundation and Labor Community Services — nan 2 nonprofits that received nan costs — told The Times.

“The Dodgers person been successful L.A. for 68 years,” said Joseph Tomás McKellar, executive head of PICO California. “They’re beloved among migrant communities successful a measurement that nary different sports squad is. That gives nan Dodgers taste and financial powerfulness successful nan region. We applaud what they did, but they could do moreover much by exercising leadership.”

PICO California, nan state’s largest faith-based organizing network, was down a petition delivered to nan Dodgers, nan contents of which were mostly addressed by nan team’s $1-million commitment. But arsenic nan past of nan money flowed to migrant families successful request successful precocious August, different petition circulated that demanded Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter waste his “company’s liking successful ICE jails and deportation flights.”

Walter’s monolithic finance firm, Guggenheim Partners, owned much than a cardinal shares of GEO Group, weighted astatine astir $12 million. By nan extremity of 2025, Guggenheim’s liking successful GEO Group had fallen to astir 10,000 shares. And by nan extremity of March of this year, Guggenheim nary longer owned immoderate shares of nan situation institution that besides assisted successful nan deportation of immigrants, according to SEC filings reviewed by The Times.

Walter besides faced disapproval complete nan business announced past twelvemonth betwixt Palantir Technologies and TWG Global — of which Walter is president and main executive officer. Palantir provides AI and analytics package to ICE, devices nan American Civil Liberties Union said “form nan backbone for ICE’s wide deportation regime.”

There are nary indicators arsenic to why Guggenheim Partners divested from GEO Group. The Dodgers declined comment. Guggenheim Partners did not respond to The Times’ petition for comment. GEO Group referred questions to Guggenheim Partners.

In January, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, aliases CHIRLA, revenge a federal suit against national officials complete nan information of nan Adelanto ICE Processing Center successful San Bernardino County, a installation operated by GEO Group. In nan complaint, CHIRLA alleged “detained individuals look vulnerable conditions and pervasive abuses — illness and unwellness are rampant, mold grows connected nan walls, and detained individuals are denied capable food, cleanable drinking water, due aesculapian care, and disablement accommodations.”

Donald Trump’s reelection has been a awesome driver of profits for GEO Group. GEO Group founder, president and main executive George Zoley said successful a May net telephone nan institution was “awarded caller aliases expanded contracts that correspond up to astir $520 cardinal successful caller incremental yearly revenues, which represents nan largest magnitude of caller business we person won successful nan azygous twelvemonth successful our company’s history.” Former GEO Group exec David Venturella is nan acting head of ICE.

“It’s really bully to cognize [of nan Guggenheim divestment],” said Rabbi Susan Goldberg, a longtime immigrants authorities activistic and laminitis of Nefesh, a Jewish belief organization successful Echo Park. “We showed up truthful often astatine its [regional] office successful Culver City that they moved. We don’t cognize wherever they are located successful nan area now.”

The California Community Foundation received $1 million, which worked pinch Los Angeles metropolis officials to administer $1,000 successful nonstop alleviation to 1,000 households impacted by nan migration raids. The money was distributed done rate cards, according to nan foundation. The Dodgers’ gift amounts to a 4th of nan $4 cardinal nan instauration has raised for its Los Angeles Neighbors Support Fund, $3.3 cardinal of which has been “deployed to impacted communities pinch caller investments continuing to rotation out,” according to nan nonprofit.

The Dodgers besides donated $100,000 to Labor Community Services, a partner of nan Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, that provided much than 4,000 families pinch nutrient assistance pinch nan team’s donation.

“The Dodgers’ generous aid has enabled america to scope and assistance much families passim Los Angeles County pinch dignity and compassion, providing captious nutrient assistance astatine a clip erstwhile it is needed most,” Labor Community Services Executive Director Norma López said successful a connection to The Times.

A spokesperson for Labor Community Services said nary different pro sports squad extracurricular nan Dodgers made a akin aid to thief impacted migrant families.

“The Dodgers person a unsocial work and they are an illustration of thing we want to proceed to see, particularly arsenic nan World Cup and nan Olympics travel to L.A.,” said Carlos Martin Rodriguez, head of organizing for L.A. Voice, a multifaith conjugation that organized respective vigils and demonstrations erstwhile nan raids were astatine their height. “I dream this wasn’t a singular moment, but nan opening of a movement.”