The San Jose Sharks apologized on Saturday after a pro-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appeared on the video board of the SAP Center as the organization celebrated Hispanic heritage night.
The message read “SJ Sharks Fans LOVE ICE !! Get’em Boyz !”
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The franchise posted a statement on X as the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up a 3-0 victory against the Sharks.
“During the first intermission of tonight’s game, an offensively worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard,” the team said. “Sharks Sports & Entertainment deeply regrets that this message, which does not meet our organization’s values, was not detected during our standard review process.
“The Sharks organization sincerely apologizes for this oversight, and we are actively working to determine the origin of the message.”
ICE enforcement in California has been a major topic of conversation over the last few months. In Los Angeles County, the board of supervisors voted to declare a local state of emergency in response to the agency’s operations in the region.
County officials claimed the raids have “created a climate of fear, leading to widespread disruption in daily life and adverse impacts to our regional economy,” including decreased workplace attendance, temporary or permanent business closures, and increased strain on schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
San Jose councilmembers also approved a policy to force ICE agents to unmask during enforcement operations. The council passed the new mandate unanimously.
Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
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