LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Federal immigration agents were barred from entering the Los Angeles Dodgers’ home stadium on Thursday after requesting access to the Major League Baseball team’s grounds, the team confirmed.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived at Dodger Stadium and “requested permission to access the parking lots,” the Dodgers said in a statement.

“They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization,” the statement said, adding that the team’s game later Thursday would go ahead as scheduled.

Images and video shared on social media showed a line of unmarked trucks and masked ICE agents at one Dodger Stadium entrance while protesters nearby chanted “ICE out of LA.”

The incident comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Los Angeles, which has become ground zero of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown across the US.

The city has seen scattered violence but mostly peaceful protests in recent weeks, ignited by an escalation in federal immigration sweeps that have targeted migrant workers in garment factories, car washes, and other workplaces.

In addition to mobilization of ICE agents, Trump ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines into the city in response to the protests — a move opposed by city leaders and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The incident at Dodger Stadium comes as the reigning World Series champions have faced criticism for their response to the immigration crackdown.

The team has a heavily Latino fan base, with some claiming a sense of betrayal over the franchise’s failure to speak out against the ongoing raids.

As of early Thursday, the Dodgers have made no formal statement regarding the immigration raids across the city.