Home Depots become prime locations for immigration enforcement

The sight of masked federal agents descending on Home Depots is forcing undocumented day laborers to weigh earning money against the risk of arrest.

LOS ANGELES — The sight of masked federal agents in tactical gear descending on Home Depots across Southern California is forcing undocumented day laborers to weigh earning badly needed income against the risk of being arrested or deported.

At least two Home Depot parking lots in the Los Angeles area were targeted Friday amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Day laborers were detained in North Hollywood and Alhambra as organizers shouted demanding to see warrants and attempted to obtain as much information as possible from handcuffed workers.

The scene has become familiar this summer to day laborers, who are desperate to maintain a steady income in a local economy still recovering from January's wildfires and the rising cost of building materials caused by tariffs.

They wait in parking lots each morning, hoping to earn a day’s wage or, if they’re lucky, get hired for a long-term project that could mean weeks or months of steady pay.

But the constant threat of arrest is taking a toll on many workers, who say they are traumatized and can’t sleep after watching friends and family members being arrested and taken to jail.