It has been a heartbreaking week for those of us in Southern California who love that Mexican and Latino immigrants are part of our communities. President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to raid homes, construction sites, Home Depot stores, farms, car washes, swap-meets, and other places of business in California seeking to arrest and deport undocumented individuals. Consequently, community members expressed concern Mexican fans fearing or protesting deportations would not attend CONCACAF’s Gold Cup 2025 opening match between Mexico and Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood California on Saturday June 14th, 2025.
CONCACAF reports 54,309 fans attended to see Mexico defeat the Dominican Republic with a score of 3 to 2. The crowd was underwhelming compared to other Mexico games at SoFi Stadium, which has a capacity of 70,240. The Dominican team exceeded expectations and played well in their loss against the heavily favored Mexico team. It is encouraging that one of the goal scorers for Mexico was Edson Alvarez. He shared the following message days before the game, “I want to send a message of respect and solidarity to all the Latino families in Los Angeles who are facing difficult times today, especially to my Mexican family. I admire your courage, your work, and your love for moving forward. We are with you. Don’t lose faith.”
Raul Jimenez
In contrast to the support Edson Alvarez shared, Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre declined to comment on the uncertainty immigrants in the LA area are facing. He said he is not a spokesperson for them. After the match, he seems to have changed his indifference ever so slightly by proclaiming the best way he and his Mexican national team can provide support is by giving their best effort on the field. I am disappointed by the Mexican soccer team’s coordinated tactic to distance themselves from those who expected their support. I describe it as a coordinated effort after hearing team national spokesperson Fernando Schwartz inform the press that the team wouldn’t answer questions on the subject. Our communities will continue to resist, even when allies fail to join us in the challenge.