A protest against federal immigration enforcement at a Home Depot store in Monrovia, California, was reportedly linked to a man’s death after he fled the location and ran onto a highway.
About 100 protesters lined up to purchase an ice scraper, which costs roughly 17 cents, and then proceeded to return the item as part of the demonstration, according to reports from various outlets.
One protester stated, “Buy it and try to disrupt their system for a while, or for a while, with a group of people who are willing to witness and defend the human rights of day laborers.”
Home Depot has distanced itself from the protest, asserting that they aren’t involved with any immigration enforcement. Critics, however, argue that the company isn’t doing enough to shield its customers and employees from such enforcement activities.
A Home Depot spokesperson commented via email, “We have not been informed of any immigration enforcement activity taking place and we are not involved in that activity. We must comply with all federal and local rules and regulations in all markets in which we operate.”
Some demonstrators displayed signs denouncing Home Depot and shared their experiences in line. The organizers of this protest were associated with the National Network of Day Labor Organizations.
Pablo Alvarado, co-director of the organization, remarked, “Whether the companies admit it or not, Home Depot has become ground zero for this cruel and vicious immigration crackdown in our country.”
Reports indicate that the man who died was a 52-year-old Guatemalan national who was being pursued by Department of Homeland Security officials when he was struck by a vehicle while on the highway.
NDLON spokesperson Palmira Figueroa stated, “We want to scrape up ICE from the community.” She added, “Using an ice scraper is symbolic. Buy it, and join a group of people who are witnessing and willing to stay to protect the human rights of day laborers and disrupt their system temporarily.”
Interestingly, there were comments from some that they ended up purchasing items like putty knives instead of ice scrapers, possibly indicating that such products aren’t in high demand in the warm climate of Southern California.
After about an hour, protesters began marching through the store, prompting employees to close it down. Figueroa remarked, “Oh, you can really close the store, right? We can shut down for this, but we can’t and we don’t shut down when ICE raids and abuses are happening.”
Calls for a boycott against Home Depot have emerged, with claims that the company is complicit in the operations of ICE.
