A Los Angeles City Council member has accused Home Depot of cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts in the city since the agency began sweeping operations there in June.
The allegations by first-term Democrat Ysabel Jurado came a day after eight people were arrested Thursday during an immigration raid at a Home Depot in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, KABC-TV reported, citing a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
The operation occurred near the Central American Resource Center, or CARECEN, Day Labor Center next to the store. That area has been the target of at least three immigration raids in the past several months.
Jurado, whose parents are illegal immigrants from the Philippines, according to her website, also opposes a plan by Home Depot to open a store in Eagle Rock, which is in her district, covering parts of central and eastern Los Angeles.
“When your name is associated with terror and you refuse to speak, you are complicit,” Jurado, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, said in a statement posted on her Instagram account. “Home Depot has chosen power and profit over the working people who sustain it.
“That’s why I unequivocally oppose the Home Depot coming to Eagle Rock Plaza, a mall that has long been a gathering place for the Filipino community in Los Angeles. I will not allow violence to take root in our neighborhoods. Our communities deserve safety, dignity and businesses that fight for the people, not against them.”
KABC reported that DHS said in its statement that three of those arrested “had extensive rap sheets for crimes including visa overstay, possession of a controlled substance and grand theft.” One person also had a final order of deportation from an immigration judge.
Home Depot plans to demolish a Macy’s department store at Eagle Rock Plaza to make space for its new location, The Eastsider of Los Angeles reported.
“These raids are part of a disturbing pattern across Los Angeles, with ICE repeatedly targeting Home Depot parking lots — common gathering spots for day laborers — without judicial warrants in clear violation of people’s rights.
“And yet, Home Depot remains silent.”
Home Depot spokesperson Sarah McDonald told The Eastsider it has no prior knowledge of when ICE is conducting a raid.
“We aren’t notified that ICE activities are going to happen, and in many cases, we don’t know that arrests have taken place until after they’re over,” McDonald said. “We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate.”
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