Activists and day labor workers say 'Boycott Home Depot' until they take a stand against ICE

In an effort to continue fighting for the rights of day laborers in and around all Home Depot stores, activists and community members have continued rallying and demanding that the home improvement store take a stance against the federal government's immigration tactics. 

The store's leadership has kept silent, but hasn’t stopped ICE and other immigration agents from entering their premises without warrants, chasing and detaining day labor workers or jornaleros.

On Sunday, groups gathered at the Cypress Park Home Depot parking lot while others organized similar actions at the Home Depot's in Westlake and Torrance in solidarity.

The Cypress Park store has been a focus point because just a few days ago, Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D-52), who represents the area, said her office received a phone call on Feb. 5 stating that Home Depot would evict the day laborer center situated in the parking lot. The IDEPSCA-managed center has been a community hub for hundreds of jornaleros. 

By the next morning, the assemblywoman reunited several groups for an emergency rally protesting against the potential eviction. Home Depot responded by saying that no eviction was happening.

“One of the two is lying and I know it is not me,” said Caloza during the Feb. 6 action.

The pressure continues

Maegan Ortiz, director of the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA)– who arrived at the Cypress location on Sunday – said boycotts are powerful, especially when it is the community that is helping Home Depot to be a billion-dollar corporation. 

“When we are saying we are not going to allow Home Depot to try to displace this labor center, it is not because we are against Home Depot, but because this labor center and this parking lot is a community center, a place where people come and seek work. It’s a place where people come to be fed and are fed,” she said. 

For more than 25 years, the Cypress Park Center has served as a lifeline for day laborers in search of work, connecting them to work and advocating for fair pay and safe working conditions. 

Activists and organizers have been asking the community to boycott Home Depot until it shows true interest for the immigrant community. Among their demands, they want the big box store to publicly oppose the federal government's aggressive immigration enforcement actions and deny federal immigration agencies access to all properties owned by the company.

They also want to establish day laborer centers at every Home Depot location and cease any harassment of day laborers. Lastly, boycott organizers are asking for compensation to families who were negatively impacted by immigration raids conducted on Home Depot premises.

Home Depot collaborates with immigration authorities

The protests in the parking lots aimed to draw attention to the collaboration between Home Depot and federal immigration authorities, which has led to the detention and deportation of numerous workers and a culture of immunity for the agents.

Protesters blame ICE for the several killings of innocent people, including Keith Porter Jr., a father of two and Home Depot employee. 

While Home Depot has kept silent, the reality is that several videos across social media show how immigration agents use the stores’ parking lots to hunt day laborer workers. They often ask them if they speak English and to show their documentation. 

“Home Depot has targeted and harassed day laborers long before they rolled out the red carpet for ICE raids on their properties. And it’s clear from their actions in Cypress Park, where they installed noise machines and are trying to evict the day laborer center, that these raids have only emboldened their cruelty against workers and their advocates,” said Miriam Arghandiwal, an organizer with the Boycott Home Depot Coalition.

Home Depots were able to obtain permits to expand to Los Angeles due to a 2008 city ordinance that required them to create safe spaces for day laborers. However, since the massive raids started in June 2025, the corporation has shown it doesn’t care about these centers.