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America First Legal (AFL) has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners.
The group accuses them of “engaging in unlawful discrimination under the guise of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
AFL alleges that the Dodgers “appear to be engaging in similar unlawful DEI practices by allowing race, color, and sex to motivate employment decisions.” The complaint specifically attacks “programs that seek to help Asian Americans, Black Americans and Latinos,” which AFL claims are unlawful.
The timing is notable. The Dodgers, one of the most popular MLB teams among Asian, Black and Mexican American fans, also committed $1million to help immigrants affected by President Trump’s immigration raids in Southern California last month. AFL cites the team for denying US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents access to stadium parking lots during those raids.
AFL framed the lawsuit as part of “larger strategy by MAGA conservative-led groups to attack private companies that are keeping programs aimed at helping or recruiting people of color.”
Legal push follows cultural tension
The complaint arrives amid high-profile shifts in civil‑rights focus.
In March, MLB removed the word 'diversity' from its MLB Careers home page. That move followed President Trump’s executive order ending “equal opportunity” for people of color and women in recruiting. AFL’s action also aligns with a Trump‑era DOJ reinterpretation of civil‑rights law to focus on “anti‑white racism” rather than discrimination against people of color.
With DEI programs under scrutiny, the AFL complaint signals a legal challenge to employer practices. AFL emphasizes that the Dodgers have targeted specific racial and gender groups through hiring initiatives.
“Stephen Miller's group is dressing up vengeance as legal action,” said Jared Rivera, chief of staff of advocacy group PICO California. “Retaliating against the Dodgers for their compassion shows Miller is threatened when the team and its fans stand up for what is moral and right.”
PICO California had urged the Dodgers "to speak out more about the immigration raids," after earlier criticism that the Dodgers had failed to do so and allegedly pressured a singer not to perform a Spanish version of the national anthem.
Franchise history fuels public scrutiny
The Dodgers hold historical significance within the civil rights movement as the team that called up Jackie Robinson in 1947, the first Black player to play major league baseball in the modern era, sparking the civil rights movement and breaking Major League Baseball’s modern‑day color line. Robinson faced racist taunts and legal segregation yet became a civil rights activist and friend of Martin Luther King Jr.
The team's civil rights legacy defines public expectations for the franchise. The lawsuit thrusts DEI programs into a legal spotlight, and private organizations will watch with interest the implications of contesting DEI practices under Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
