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The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to head to the White House again after winning their second straight World Series title.
The Dodgers became the first team to win two consecutive Fall Classics since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000 after completing a Game 7 comeback against the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings.
The team went to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in April in a series against the Washington Nationals, and if that’s still the plan, the Dodgers would return there between April 3 and 5 of next year.
But an immigration rights group is pleading with the team not to go.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, U.S. President Donald Trump and Los Angeles Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walter pose with a jersey presented to Trump as he hosts the 2024 World Series champions in the East Room of the White House April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“The Los Angeles Dodgers have always been more than a baseball team: they are part of the spirit of who we are as a city. The team represents our neighborhoods, our families and our shared love for our diverse communities. But right now, our community, our city is under siege, we need them to stand with us., on the right side of history,” the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) wrote in an online petition.
“Call on the team to honor the unity, integrity and diversity that they themselves represent. They cannot remain silent while our families and neighbors face violence, detention and deportation. By visiting a president who has used his power to harm the most vulnerable, the team would be turning its back on the very people who fill the stadiums, wear the jerseys and give their hearts to this team. By encouraging the team to do this “We will show the White House that Los Angeles represents compassion, dignity and solidarity with its immigrant neighbors.
“Los Angeles is a city built by immigrants, working families and dreamers. We celebrate our champions, but we also stand for justice, dignity and love for our community. Dodgers, stay with us. Support the city that has always stood by you,” they said in an Instagram post, via ABC7 in Los Angeles.
Hard throw reliever Brusdar Graterolalong with a few others, missed the celebration earlier this year. Graterol chose to stay in “my brown house”.
Outfielder Mookie Betts decided to go this year after opting out of his trip with the Boston Red Sox in 2019.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks with President Donald Trump during a ceremony celebrating the Major League Baseball 2024 World Series champion team, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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“It’s not about me; I don’t want anything to be about me. It’s about the Dodgers. Because those boys were there for me,” Betts said. via Los Angeles Times.
Betts said he regretted not making the trip in 2019, which manager Alex Cora and pitcher David Price also skipped, saying he thought he was a distraction. Cora recently admitted he took the plunge to meet with Trump because he wanted to prioritize his home country, Puerto Rico. When the Red Sox visited the White House in May 2019, Puerto Rico was still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Cora was unhappy with the federal government’s response.
In March, an LA Times writer implored the Dodgers to tell the White House “Thanks, but no” regarding this year’s visit.
“The president lost Los Angeles County by 33 percentage points. In his feuds with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Trump has threatened to withhold wildfire funds without concessions. He never seems to miss an opportunity to go after the Golden State,” the article read, noting Magic Johnson and Billie Jean King’s stakeholder criticism of Trump in the past.
In June, the Dodgers said they denied ICE agents entry to their stadium grounds, but ICE said that was “wrong” since they were “never there.” The team said agents “requested permission to access the parking lots,” but an ICE spokesperson said in an email to PK Press Club Digital at the time that “ICE was never present.” Dodgers Stadiumand therefore never attempted to access it. ” In a personal statement after ICE’s denial, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that “the CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly” and that it “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
Earlier that month, local singer Nessa performed the national anthem in Spanish in protest of ICE raids in the city. Outfielder Kike Hernandez, a Game 6 hero, posted about the protests on social media at the time.
Dozens of people protest outside Dodger Stadium, criticizing the Los Angeles Dodgers for their lack of support for immigrants and cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in Los Angeles, the United States, June 21, 2025. (Katie McTiernan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I may not be born and raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own,” Hernandez wrote on Instagram. “I am saddened and furious at what is happening in our country and our city. The fans of Los Angeles and the Dodgers have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love. This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being raped, profiled, abused and torn apart.
“ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants.”
The Dodgers visited former President Joe Biden in July 2021 to celebrate their 2020 World Series title.
