The Best People with Nicolle Wallace BONUS: The Youth Baseball Coach Who Fended Off ICE
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Jul 15, 2025 Youman Wilder, a passionate youth baseball coach and founder of Harlem Baseball Hitting Academy, shares his shocking encounter with ICE agents during practice. He recounts his brave decision to intervene and defend his players' rights, highlighting the importance of understanding legal protections. The conversation also tackles the broader implications of immigration enforcement on community sports, the challenges facing youth baseball programs, and the need for empathy and advocacy in protecting vulnerable youth, particularly in Latino communities.
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Coach Fends Off ICE Agents
- Youman Wilder witnessed armed ICE agents questioning his youth baseball players on New York's Upper West Side.
- He intervened by instructing the kids to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights and refusing to let them answer the agents' questions.
Bystanders' Inaction Reveals Cowardice
- Many bystanders at the scene did nothing when ICE agents questioned children.
- This inaction revealed a troubling willingness to obey authority even when it violates constitutional rights.
Attendance Crashes After ICE Incident
- After the ICE incident, youth baseball attendance plummeted from 20–25 kids to only one showing up.
- The incident deeply shook the affected families, causing them to avoid practice due to fear.