At Home Depot parking lots in Southern California, day laborers and activists have increased efforts to warn each other about potential immigration raids. Using megaphones, whistles, and two-way radios, they attempt to alert workers from Mexico, El Salvador, and other countries when federal agents arrive.
Since June, the Van Nuys Home Depot has seen at least five raids by immigration authorities. These operations have resulted in some immigrants being detained while others flee for safety. Reports indicate that at least a dozen Home Depot stores across Southern California have been targeted multiple times since the Trump administration escalated its immigration enforcement over the summer.
Earlier this year, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller reportedly identified Home Depot as a target for such raids. On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed federal agents to continue these operations in Los Angeles after immigrant advocates filed lawsuits challenging the sweeps. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called this “a win” for law enforcement. Advocates expressed disappointment with the decision.
“When you undermine the civil rights of those who are more vulnerable, you undermine the civil rights of everyone else,” Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said Monday during a press conference near a Home Depot.
A recent incident outside a Monrovia Home Depot led to tragedy when a man fleeing immigration officers ran onto a freeway and was fatally struck by a vehicle.
Javier, an undocumented worker from Mexico who requested partial anonymity out of fear of reprisal, described narrowly escaping three separate raids at the Van Nuys store by hiding or quickly leaving the area. He recounted that agents arrived in large vans and pursued workers through the lot.
The Van Nuys location sits on property owned by Los Angeles World Airports—a city department within Los Angeles’s jurisdiction—where local policies restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Mayor Karen Bass stated her office supports ongoing litigation against these enforcement actions and has trained city employees to prepare for similar events on city-owned land. City councilperson Ysabel Jurado has opposed plans for another Home Depot store in her district due to concerns about company response to immigration raids.
Chris Newman of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network argued that “these locations should be protected by the city to the same degree the public libraries are.”
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that more than 5,400 arrests have occurred in Los Angeles since early June and emphasized that targets are chosen based on legal status rather than ethnicity. “Every day, DHS is enforcing our nation’s laws across all of Los Angeles, not just Home Depot,” she said.
Contractors represent about half of Home Depot’s business according to retail analysts. The retailer’s business model attracts both professional contractors and day laborers seeking work opportunities outside its stores. Neil Saunders from GlobalData Retail noted that Lowe’s—the second-largest home improvement chain—relies less heavily on contractors than Home Depot does.
Although there is no evidence overall sales have declined due to these incidents, analytics firm Placer.ai found foot traffic at Los Angeles-area Home Depots dropped 10% or more year-over-year in June and July—larger decreases than national averages during those months.
Home Depot maintains it is not involved in or notified ahead of immigration enforcement actions at its approximately 2,300 locations nationwide. Spokesperson Beth Marlowe said associates are instructed not to engage with enforcement activity but should report it immediately; employees uncomfortable after such events may leave work with pay for the rest of their shift.
Witnesses reported seeing managers close automated doors during raids in Van Nuys and observed agents questioning people about their status after making arrests outside.
Luis, another day laborer who asked not to use his last name due to safety concerns, remarked: “They’re just fishing.” He holds legal residency but shares concerns with others gathering at these sites.
Nik Theodore from University of Illinois Chicago explained that growth in home improvement retail chains like Home Depot changed how contractors source materials and labor—with cost savings becoming increasingly important factors for winning jobs: “Home Depot is not an innocent bystander in all of this. Their sources of success were instrumental in catalyzing this change.”
Los Angeles responded years ago by requiring new large retailers like home improvement stores to include amenities such as seating areas and bathrooms when opening locations where workers gather informally looking for jobs.
Despite repeated raids—and risks involved—a non-profit continues operating a labor center at Van Nuys’ parking lot helping track employers who do not pay as promised; many workers cite community support as another reason they keep returning even under threat of arrest or deportation.
“It’s a place that becomes familiar,” Javier said. “Here, all of us together, we’ve become friends.”
