Home Depot
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Home Depot |
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| Industry | Retail; home improvement |
| Country | United States |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Parent company | |
| Status | Active |
| Verification |
Verified |
Overview
Home Depot is a United States–based home improvement retailer with more than 2,000 stores nationwide. In recent years, Home Depot locations — particularly their large parking lots — have frequently been the site of immigration enforcement actions by federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol, often targeting day laborers who gather there seeking work. These enforcement operations have drawn national attention, protests, and boycott campaigns.
Company spokespeople state that Home Depot does not coordinate with ICE or DHS, is not notified in advance of federal enforcement activity, and has no contract with those agencies related to enforcement. Home Depot has said associates are instructed to report any suspected federal enforcement operations for their safety and not to engage.
Boycott
Home Depot has been the target of boycott campaigns organized by immigrant rights groups and activists due to the repeated immigration raids that have taken place in or near its parking lots. Critics argue that the company has done little to protect day laborers and other workers who gather around Home Depot stores, where contractors often hire informal labor. Some advocacy groups describe the retailer’s silence and lack of protective measures as tacit acceptance of enforcement actions.
Protesters and organizers have staged demonstrations at stores in multiple U.S. cities, claiming that Home Depot parking lots have effectively become staging areas for ICE and DHS enforcement operations. These demonstrations have included calls for the company to adopt stronger policies to safeguard vulnerable workers and customers from what protestors describe as federal immigration enforcement actions occurring on or adjacent to Home Depot property.
Background
Advocacy groups and news reporting note that Home Depot parking lots have long been informal gathering points for day laborers — many of whom are immigrants — where contractors recruit workers for short-term jobs. Because these areas draw a large number of people seeking work, federal immigration enforcement agencies have increasingly used them as sites for sweeps and arrests. While there is no public evidence that Home Depot contracts with ICE or DHS for these operations, the visibility and regularity of federal enforcement activity in these spaces have prompted sustained public debate about the company’s role and responsibilities.