Los Angeles City Councillors have publicly opposed Home Depot’s plan to open a new location in Eagle Rock Plaza, claiming the home improvement retailer is accomplice with immigration enforcement actions.
exist Instagram posts, “Take your orange apron elsewhere,” wrote Councilman Ysabel Jurado, citing a raid that took place Thursday morning at Westlake Home Depot, several raids at the site since June. Jurado’s area spans from downtown El Sereno and Eagle Rock.
Home Depot plans to remove the former Macy’s department store in Eagle Rock Plaza to make room for its new location, Eastsied report.
Surveillance video obtained by The Times showed federal agents arriving at several vehicles across from Home Depot and Waiday Labor Centers and immediately caught up with people including suppliers and daily workers.
Federal agents can be seen deploying tear gas when people disperse.
A man arrested and nailed to the ground by federal officials was beaten, according to a statement from the Humanitarian Immigration Rights Alliance.
“We are uneasy to be described as a terrorist act and an unselected integrated act of Latino street vendors, day workers and people in their daily lives,” the group said.
According to Chirla, at least 8 to 15 people were arrested during the operation.
Since June 6 “Operation Trojan Horse” Six of the Border Patrol agents jumped out of Penske truck and arrested 16 people.
“These raids are part of a disturbing pattern in Los Angeles, with ice repeatedly targeting Home Depot parking lots (for common gatherings for workers in New York), and there is no judicial warrant, which clearly violates people’s rights,” Yurado said.
In her post, the lawmaker accused Home Depot of “staying silent”.
“You are accomplice when your name is associated with horror and you refuse to speak,” the post reads. “Home Depot chose to maintain the power and profits of the workers.”
Home Depot spokesman Sarah McDonald said in a statement to the Times that the company did not inform the planned ice operation, “We don’t ask them.” In many cases, the company didn’t know that the arrests did not happen until after the end.
“We have to comply with all federal and local rules and regulations in every market we operate,” McDonald’s said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to the Times’ request for comment.
Earlier this month, The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s neighborhood to “patrol” In most parts of Southern California. The ruling retains a temporary restraining order that prohibits masked and armed agents from robbing people without first establishing reasonable suspicion that they do not have any documents in the United States.
Chirla said the excessive use of force that occurred during Thursday’s raid “has clearly ignored the community safety standards of federal agents, which is disturbing, which may violate the current TRO and must be investigated.”
On Friday, Progressive Democrats in the East announce on Facebook The organization launched the #NoHomedepot campaign to stop retailers from opening a brick-and-mortar store in Eagle Rock Plaza.
Staff writer Rachel Uranga contributed to the report.
