U.S. retailer Home Depot has become a focal point for the 'immigrant deportation' policy promoted by the Donald Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 11th that "President Trump's immigration enforcement actions are evident both inside and outside Home Depot parking lots across the U.S."
Home Depot is a specialty retailer of home improvement materials and has been a common meeting place for immigrants seeking day labor jobs. This is due to the nature of its stores, where customers currently undertaking dwelling renovations or construction projects are likely to be looking for labor. Many of the immigrants gathering at Home Depot are undocumented, and some anti-immigrant groups have criticized the store for encouraging the hiring of undocumented workers.
The U.S. government has also been monitoring Home Depot. According to an earlier WSJ report, Stephen Miller, architect of President Trump's immigration policy, instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials starting at the end of last month to focus enforcement actions on Home Depot and 7-Eleven convenience stores, where day laborers primarily seek jobs. In fact, ICE's immigration enforcement officially began with a raid on a Home Depot store in Los Angeles (LA), California, on the 6th.
There had been previous instances of immigrants being arrested at Home Depot. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested at least 9 day laborers near a Home Depot store in Pomona, California. Among them, 3 Guatemalan immigrants became targets for expedited removal by the U.S. government, but a court raised questions about the legality of the arrests, issuing a temporary protection order that paused the deportations.
Since ICE targeted Home Depot, the number of immigrants gathering there has noticeably decreased. The Washington Post (WP) reported that after ICE's enforcement actions began, the Home Depot parking lot was empty during the first 24 hours. This was due to the shock of immigrants being suddenly arrested by ICE, which led to a riot in response. However, a couple of days later, starting on the 8th, immigrants began to reappear one by one.
WSJ noted that "on the 10th, far fewer people were waiting for pickups from contractors in front of a Home Depot store in northern New Jersey, compared to a few months ago," and added, "only a few men were seen at two Home Depot locations in LA, and no day laborers were visible at three Home Depot stores around Houston."
Martha Arevalo, director of the Central American Resource Center in LA, said about the Home Depot store in Westlake where ICE enforcement occurred, "There used to be hundreds of people gathered, but now there are just a few in the parking lot." The Central American Resource Center has been operating a support center providing restrooms, snacks, water, and education to day laborers at Westlake Mall.
Home Depot is reportedly distressed about being identified as a primary location for immigration enforcement. A spokesperson for Home Depot stated they had not received prior notice that ICE would carry out immigration enforcement near their stores, nor had there been cooperation with immigration authorities. However, they added that LA area Home Depot store managers were instructed to avoid contact with ICE and to immediately report to headquarters if immigration enforcement occurred near their stores.