America’s best-known hardware store chain, Home Depot, has found itself at the center of the federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, and the subsequent protests.
On Friday, a Home Depot in the Westlake neighborhood was among several locations hit by federal agents, who also raided Ambiance Apparel in the garment district in downtown L.A. as part of a crackdown that led to the arrests of dozens of people.
The arrests outside Home Depot targeted day laborers hired by the chain’s customers, including homeowners and contractors who rely on undocumented workers for home repair and construction jobs.
Day laborers have been crucial to rebuilding efforts after Los Angeles County’s devastating January firestorms.
On Saturday, a Home Depot in the predominantly Latino suburb of Paramount, which is south of Los Angeles, also became the site of clashes between protesters and authorities.
After a weekend of protests, officials also carried out raids at Home Depot locations in Whittier and Huntington Park on Monday morning, and reports of additional raids at other Southern California Home Depot locations spread across social media.
A spokesperson for Home Depot confirmed Monday that the company had not been notified of any of the raids at its locations ahead of time and that the company was not involved in any of the operations.
The Atlanta-based chain now faces a difficult situation, with its locations serving as a frequent site of raids, potentially turning away customers.
Home Depot shares closed at $36.20, down 0.6%, on Monday. The company reported revenue of nearly $40 billion in its fiscal first quarter this year, up 9% from a year earlier. Net earnings for the quarter were $3.4 billion, down from $3.6 billion during the same period last year.
It’s not the first time the company has made headlines as the subject of controversy.
Home Depot’s co-founder Bernie Marcus donated at least $14 million to support Donald Trump’s first presidency and pledged to support his reelection bid. Marcus, who died in 2024, had a reputation as a Republican megadonor.
Protesters called for a boycott of the company in 2019 over his donations. The chain has tried to distance itself from its founder, stressing that he left the company in 2002 and that his donations and statements were not on behalf of Home Depot.
Home Depot locations have been for decades convenient spots for contractors and those embarking on home improvement projects to hire skilled laborers.
The construction industry in Southern California depends heavily on immigrants and day laborers, a reliance that has been highlighted by recent fire recovery efforts in the region.
Jorge Nicolás, a senior organizer at a day labor center run by the Central American Resource Center, or CARECEN, said day laborers often take on undesirable jobs or jobs with tough conditions, making them crucial to many construction jobs.
“The majority of immigrant workers usually are used to help developers control construction costs and stay within the timelines that they have projected,” he said. “Those are the extra hands that are needed.”
Nicolás was in Westlake on Friday when immigration officials carried out a sweep outside of the Home Depot there. CARECEN’s day labor center is just minutes away from the store. He described the scene as chaotic, and even workers who he knows have legal status were fleeing in fear, he said.
“We felt powerless,” Nicolás said. “They’re not arresting motorcycle gang members. They’re not arresting international drug dealers. They’re arresting grandpas. They’re just arresting people that are very humble and looking for an opportunity, just trying to get a decent living.”
By Monday afternoon, the parking lot of the Home Depot in Huntington Park was busy, with nearly 100 cars and pickup trucks filling the lot.
There were few signs that a raid had taken place just hours earlier, but Bradley Cortez and his friends stood in the lot, keeping their eyes peeled. They came shortly after they got word of the raid, but Cortez said they were too late.
He drove from Bellflower, roughly 10 miles south of Huntington Park, in hopes of helping the “hardworking men” who were being targeted by immigration officials.
“I’ll put my life at risk because I’ve I got papers. I was born here, so if I’m able to help somebody, of course I’ll help them,” said the 23-year-old, who works in construction and frequents Home Depot locations himself to find jobs.
“It is a little scary being out here, but that’s what is being brave about,” he said. “Being brave is when you’re scared. And I’m being brave for my people.”
Times staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.
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