**Home Depot Responds to Immigration Raids with Silence Outside Its Doors** This title captures the essence of the original headline while providing a more direct and informative description of the article’s content

The Home Depot logo is displayed outside a store in Los Angeles where immigration agents arrested day laborers after jumping out of a rental moving truck.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Ray Hudson arrived at his local Home Depot in Los Angeles preparing for a move. He picked up plastic crates. Usually, he would also hire help — one of the men who tend to gather nearby looking for work. But they weren’t there.

Earlier that day, on August 6, federal agents in tactical gear sprung out of a rented moving truck, going after day laborers and food sellers in an immigration raid. Hudson heard about it on the news.

“It’s just not right,” Hudson said. “They’re out here trying to make an honest living. They’re not hurting nobody, they’re not bothering nobody.”

If there’s a company most caught up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, it’s Home Depot, after numerous raids near stores around Los Angeles and the country. But the home-improvement giant has largely stayed quiet.

During Tuesday’s earnings call with Wall Street analysts, executives said nothing — and received no questions about — immigration raids or day laborers. Last week, after a man died as he ran from one of the raids onto a freeway and was struck by a car, Home Depot representatives did not respond to NPR’s inquiry on the death. Earlier in the month, Home Depot replied to questions about the company’s position on raids and interaction with federal authorities with a statement it has issued repeatedly:

“We ask associates to report any suspected immigration enforcement operations immediately and not to engage for their own safety,” the statement reads, in part. “We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and we aren’t involved in them. In many cases, we don’t know that arrests have taken place until after they’re over. We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate.”

Home Depot’s hands-off response frustrates Chris Newman. He advocates for day laborer rights as the legal director of the National Day Labor Organizing Network.

“I sympathize with the fact that they are now ground zero for a big polarizing political and cultural issue,” Newman told NPR earlier this month. “However, I think that they have a responsibility and certainly a moral obligation to defend day laborers, who are both customers and service the stores where they seek work.”

A wreath for the late Carlos Roberto Montoya, a 52-year-old man from Guatemala, is placed in the parking lot of Home Depot in Monrovia, Calif. Montoya died after being hit by a car on the freeway as he was fleeing from an immigration raid outside the store.

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In a statement to NPR, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also said Home Depot has no role in their operations and businesses don’t get notified in advance of enforcement actions.

Day laborer sites sprung up as Home Depot grew

Home Depot does not have a formal relationship with day laborers, but their history runs deep.

“Much of Home Depot’s success has led to the conditions that we see in the industry today and why contractors turn to day laborers so often,” said Nik Theodore, a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago who’s one of the top researchers on day laborers.

Before the 1990s, when the retailer grew into the biggest home improvement chain, contracting crews tried to keep their costs lower than their rivals by shopping for supplies at different wholesalers. But now, everyone pays the same prices at Home Depot. That’s made the cost of labor a key way for a contractor to get the edge over competitors.

Add in the chronic worker shortage in construction, and day laborers became a particularly convenient and cheap solution: an on-demand workforce right outside the store.

“The construction industry is highly volatile and the need for on-call labor remains high,” Theodore said. “And the immigrants are filling that shortage.”

Roughly half of Home Depot’s sales are now to professional contractors, who might need quick help with demolition, construction or cleanup.

The other type of customer at Home Depot was, in many ways, created by the chain: The retailer early on began teaching home owners to DIY and skip the contractor. Those shoppers now hire day laborers, too, for quick repairs or landscaping.

“In general, day laborers love Home Depot, and Home Depot’s bottom line loves day laborers,” said Newman.

A bystander films an immigration agent during an operation outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles on Aug. 15.

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Raids haven’t had any clear impact on sales so far

Home Depot has said that day laborers are not part of its business model. Wall Street analysts say they’re not a huge customer base and people who hire them would shop at the chain even if day laborers weren’t nearby.

Investors so far have shrugged off the immigration spotlight on the company. Home Depot’s stock price is at its highest since February.

“I don’t think that it’s had any impact really on their sales,” said Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joe Feldman, speaking earlier this month. “There’s nothing to say from Home Depot’s standpoint in the sense that Home Depot doesn’t hire [day laborers] — doesn’t have a network to try to help them get hired — they just happen to show up at Home Depot’s doorstep.”

On Tuesday, Home Depot reported its U.S. sales grew 1.4% between early May and early August, a tepid result that nonetheless surpassed the previous quarter notably. Home owners have continued to delay major projects out of worry about the economy and tariffs, but appear to be doing more smaller projects.

The company has also stuck to a neutral tone on President Trump’s tariffs. After Trump publicly shamed Walmart in May for warning that tariffs would lead to higher prices, Home Depot said it didn’t expect “broad-based” price increases, though some products might disappear from shelves. On Tuesday, executives flagged possible “modest” price hikes for some imported products.

Critics, meanwhile, often zero in on the company’s perceived politics: Two of the company’s three founders have supported Trump. But those men have not run Home Depot for about 20 years, and one of them died last year. The retailer donates to both political parties.

On Reddit, Home Depot workers have begun trading tales of raid impacts: Some claim fewer contractors are visiting and stores are struggling to meet sales goals; others say it’s business as usual and sales are booming.

Back at the Los Angeles Home Depot a few hours after that raid with the rental truck, shopper Margarita Ochoa pointed out one change.

“This parking lot is always full,” she said. “Right now, there is like so many spaces.”

Ochoa runs a housekeeping business and usually sends her employees to stock up on cleaning supplies or liquids for her pressure washer. But today, for the first time in a while, Ochoa is at the Home Depot.

“Because they’re afraid to come,” she said, “They’re afraid to be here.”

Ochoa said she hopes Home Depot will speak out more against the raids and also do more, perhaps by protecting people who run inside by closing the doors to immigration agents.

She was thinking of taking her business elsewhere, she said. But this Home Depot is still the most convenient to get her supplies — and it has been her store for 33 years.

NPR’s Ximena Bustillo contributed to this report.

What specific actions could Home Depot take to demonstrate a stronger commitment to its employees affected by ICE raids, beyond basic legal compliance?

Home Depot Responds to Immigration Raids with Silence Outside Its Doors

The recent wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting Home Depot stores across multiple states has been met with a notable lack of public comment from the company itself. This silence has drawn criticism from advocacy groups, labor organizations, and even some customers, raising questions about Home Depot’s stance on immigration and its responsibility to its workforce. This article examines the events, the company’s response (or lack thereof), and the potential implications for both Home Depot and the broader retail sector.

The Raids: A Timeline and Scope

Throughout July and August of 2025, ICE conducted unannounced audits and raids at over 20 Home Depot locations, primarily in California, Texas, and Florida. These operations focused on verifying employment eligibility, specifically targeting potential instances of undocumented workers.

July 15th: Initial reports surfaced of ICE activity at a Home Depot in Sacramento, California, leading to the detention of several employees.

July 22nd – August 5th: Raids expanded to multiple locations in Texas, with a important number of workers questioned and some taken into custody.

August 12th – 18th: Florida stores became the focus, mirroring the patterns observed in California and Texas.

The exact number of employees affected remains unclear, but estimates range from 150 to 200 individuals. ICE has confirmed that the audits are part of a broader effort to enforce immigration laws and ensure compliance with federal regulations. The focus on Home Depot specifically hasn’t been publicly explained beyond standard enforcement procedures.

Home depot’s Official Response – Or Lack Thereof

Despite repeated requests for comment from various media outlets, Home depot has largely remained silent. The company’s initial statement, released shortly after the first reports of the raids, was brief and generic:

“Home depot is cooperating fully with all government agencies. We are committed to following the law and maintaining a legal workforce.”

Subsequent inquiries have been met with variations of this statement or no response at all. This strategy of minimal dialogue has been interpreted in several ways:

Legal Strategy: Some experts suggest Home Depot is intentionally limiting its public statements to avoid potentially compromising its legal position.

Reputational Risk management: The company might potentially be attempting to minimize negative publicity by avoiding a potentially contentious public debate.

Political Considerations: Home Depot might potentially be navigating a sensitive political landscape, attempting to avoid alienating either side of the immigration debate.

This silence contrasts sharply with the responses of other companies facing similar situations, who frequently enough issue more detailed statements outlining their commitment to their employees and their values.

Impact on Employees and the Workforce

The ICE raids have had a significant impact on Home Depot employees, creating a climate of fear and uncertainty.

Increased Anxiety: Employees, especially those from immigrant communities, have expressed anxiety about their own employment status and the potential for future raids.

Workforce Disruption: The detention of employees has led to staffing shortages and disruptions in store operations.

Community Impact: The raids have also affected the broader communities where Home Depot stores are located, raising concerns about the economic and social consequences of immigration enforcement.

Labor organizations are calling on Home Depot to provide legal support and resources to affected employees,and also to advocate for extensive immigration reform. They argue that the company has a moral obligation to protect its workforce,regardless of their immigration status.

Legal and Ethical Considerations for Employers

The Home Depot situation highlights several key legal and ethical considerations for employers:

I-9 Compliance: Employers are legally required to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires using Form I-9. Failure to comply with I-9 regulations can result in significant fines and penalties.

Discrimination Laws: Employers must ensure that their hiring and employment practices do not discriminate against individuals based on their national origin or immigration status.

Ethical Responsibilities: beyond legal requirements, employers have an ethical responsibility to treat their employees with fairness and respect, and to create a safe and inclusive work environment.

Many companies are now proactively reviewing their I-9 compliance procedures and implementing training programs for managers and employees. Some are also advocating for policies that would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers.

Past Instances & Similar Cases: A Pattern?

This isn’t the first time Home Depot has faced scrutiny regarding its