Federal immigration agents have conducted raids at Home Depot parking lots across southern California, targeting undocumented day laborers who gather there seeking work. The operations have sparked fear and disruption among workers, vendors, and the surrounding community.
In a recent raid at a Home Depot in central Los Angeles, masked agents emerged from white vans and began detaining people. Witnesses described scenes of panic as workers and vendors fled, including some who had brought their children. Pedro, a legal resident from Mexico who was present, said, 'They all started to run.'
The raids have destabilized the informal economy that has long existed at these locations, where laborers sell their skills in construction, landscaping, and roofing. Since the enforcement actions, vendors have stopped coming, and few workers appear. 'Look – nothing, just silence,' Pedro said. 'I have never seen anything like this before.'
Advocates argue that the raids are targeting the very immigrants who have contributed to rebuilding Los Angeles after recent wildfires. Jorge Nicolás of the Central American Resource Center said, 'These workers, this community, has been here for decades.' He noted that the raids have triggered trauma among those who fled violence in their home countries.
Lawyers report being blocked from accessing detained immigrants, who were held in federal buildings without adequate food or water. Some have been transferred to detention centers in California's high desert or Texas, and at least a handful have been deported to Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security denied these allegations, calling them false.
Day laborers like Eduardo, who witnessed a raid in Huntington Park, expressed the terror of being seized without explanation. 'They just come and grab you, like grabbing a baby,' he said. 'They don't ask any questions.' The ongoing operations have left many workers, even those with legal status, in a state of constant fear.
