Day Labor Hiring and Job Seeking in Front of Home Depot... Mostly Undocumented Immigrants
Crackdown on Undocumented Immigrants as Home Depot Is Raided
As President Donald Trump continues to implement strict policies on illegal immigration enforcement, Home Depot has emerged as a major target area for crackdowns. On June 11 (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the number of day laborers in front of Home Depot stores has sharply decreased.
Most of these day laborers are undocumented immigrants, and they have become fearful of sudden raids. Near a Home Depot store in northern New Jersey, far fewer people were gathered compared to several months ago, and at three Home Depot locations near Houston, no workers were seen at all.
On June 6, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a strip mall in Westlake, Los Angeles, where a Home Depot store is located. This area is predominantly a Latino residential district. According to the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, it is estimated that about eight people were detained during the raid. Authorities conducted multiple additional raids in the area, including at other Home Depot stores, on June 7 and 8.
Home Depot has long maintained an official policy prohibiting job-seeking and hiring activities near its stores. Home Depot told the WSJ that it had not received any notification from authorities about enforcement actions around its stores and stated that it is not cooperating with immigration authorities in any way. The company also added that it has advised employees to avoid contact with authorities for their own safety.
Previously, last month, Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and architect of the Trump administration's immigration policies, called for an acceleration of deportations of undocumented immigrants, including crackdowns in Home Depot parking lots and at 7-Eleven stores.
In April, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents detained more than nine day laborers outside a Home Depot in Pomona, California. In May, a federal judge in San Diego issued a temporary restraining order halting the expedited removal of three Guatemalans arrested during the crackdown, raising questions about the legality of the operation. These individuals are currently undergoing formal deportation proceedings.
The WSJ pointed out that the Trump administration's aggressive deportation measures are threatening the symbiotic relationship that has existed at Home Depot for decades. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Home Depot has experienced sluggish sales. Professional construction companies have long been major customers of Home Depot, and the company has made efforts in recent years to attract them. Job seekers around Home Depot stores have supplied labor to these construction firms.
Some anti-immigration groups have criticized Home Depot, accusing the company of aiding undocumented immigrant workers. In contrast, pro-immigration organizations are urging Home Depot to make greater efforts to improve working conditions for undocumented immigrant laborers.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, protests against the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants have continued for six consecutive days as of this date, and the situation has begun to calm down as nighttime curfews have been imposed in major protest areas. However, as arrests of undocumented immigrants have increased in California and other regions, the protests have spread not only in Los Angeles but across the United States. Demonstrations were held the previous day in cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Austin, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
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