LA Councilmember Ysabel Jurado Accuses Home Depot of ICE Raid Complicity, Opposes Eagle Rock Store Over Silence

Key Takeaways

• LA Councilmember Ysabel Jurado is opposing a new Home Depot in Eagle Rock Plaza due to frequent ICE raids at their parking lots targeting day laborers .

• Home Depot claims they aren't notified about ICE operations beforehand and aren't involved in them, but critics argue they should do more to protect vulnerable workers .

• Federal agents have conducted multiple aggressive operations at LA-area Home Depots, including "Operation Trojan Horse" where officers jumped out of rental trucks to apprehend immigrants .

• The raids continue despite a temporary restraining order prohibiting immigration enforcement based on racial profiling in certain California counties .

1. So What's Actually Happening Here?

LA City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado went public last week with her opposition to Home Depot's plans to open a new location in Eagle Rock Plaza, and her reasoning's got people pretty divided. She's basically accusing the home improvement giant of being complicit with ICE raids that target day laborers in their parking lots. She said straight up: "Take your orange aprons somewhere else" .

The whole thing came to a head after yet another raid happened at the Westlake Home Depot location last Thursday - apparently the fourth such operation at that same store since June. Federal agents showed up in tactical gear, deployed what looked like tear gas, and arrested at least 15 people according to some reports . Jurado calls this a "disturbing pattern" across Los Angeles, where ICE repeatedly targets Home Depot parking lots without judicial warrants, violating people's rights .

What makes this particularly messy is that Eagle Rock Plaza isn't just any vacant spot - it's been a gathering place for the Filipino community in LA for ages. Jurado herself is the daughter of undocumented Filipino immigrants, so this isn't just political for her . She's arguing that bringing in a Home Depot would essentially bring "violence" to a place that's been culturally significant for her community.

2. Who Is Ysabel Jurado Anyway?

For those who don't know LA politics, Ysabel Jurado isn't your typical politician. She's a former tenants' rights attorney who represents Los Angeles' District 14, which includes downtown LA and apparently Eagle Rock too . Her city council bio actually mentions she's the daughter of "undocumented Filipino immigrants," which obviously gives her a different perspective on immigration enforcement than some other officials might have .

She's been pretty vocal about immigrant rights even before this Home Depot situation blew up. When she says she "won't allow violence to take root in our neighborhoods," she's coming from a place of personal experience . It's not just political posturing - she's actually connected to these issues in a way that most politicians aren't.

What's interesting is that she's taking on a big corporation like Home Depot instead of just focusing on federal immigration policy. Her argument is that businesses have a responsibility to speak out when their spaces are being used for operations that terrify local communities . It's a pretty bold move, especially since Home Depot is such a major employer and retailer nationwide.

3. How Home Depot is Responding (Spoiler: They're Staying Quiet)

Home Depot's response to all this has been pretty consistent across all the media inquiries - they're claiming they have no involvement with or advance knowledge of ICE operations. Their spokesperson Sarah McDonald said: "We aren't notified that ICE activities are going to happen, and we're not requesting them. In many cases, we don't know that arrests have taken place until after they're over" .

They've also emphasized that they're "required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate" . Basically their position is that they're just caught in the middle between federal enforcement and local communities, without much ability to influence either side.

What they haven't done is make any public statement condemning the raids or expressing concern about how they're affecting workers who use their parking lots. This is exactly what Jurado and immigrant rights advocates are criticizing them for . They're staying neutral in a situation where neutrality kinda looks like taking a side.

During their recent earnings call with Wall Street analysts, executives said nothing about the immigration raids or day laborers. Nobody even asked about it, which tells you where investors priorities are at . For shareholders apparently it's business as usual, even while people are getting tear-gassed in their parking lots.

4. The Eagle Rock Plaza Location Isn't Just Any Empty Space

The proposed Home Depot location at Eagle Rock Plaza isn't just some random retail space - it's got history and cultural significance for the local community. The plan would involve demolishing a defunct Macy's department store in Eagle Rock Plaza to make way for the new Home Depot location .

But here's why this matters beyond just replacing one store with another: Eagle Rock Plaza has long been a gathering place for the Filipino community in Los Angeles . For immigrant communities, these gathering spaces aren't just about shopping - they're social hubs, places to connect with people who share your culture, and kinda like anchor points in a new country.

Jurado specifically mentioned this in her statement: "I unequivocally oppose Home Depot coming to Eagle Rock Plaza, a mall that has been a gathering place for the Filipino community in Los Angeles. I will not allow violence to take root in our neighborhoods" . She's framing this as about preserving safe spaces for immigrant communities, not just about retail development.

There's also the economic aspect - local opponents argue that Home Depot would hurt smaller hardware stores in the area that have been around for years. But the immigration issue is definitely taking center stage in this particular debate.

5. These ICE Raids Are Getting Really Aggressive

The tactics ICE and Border Patrol have been using at Home Depot locations are getting pretty intense from what reports show. There was this one operation they called "Operation Trojan Horse" where federal agents literally jumped out of a Penske rental truck to apprehend people . No joke - they used a rental truck like a Trojan horse to surprise day laborers.

Surveillance video from the Thursday raid at Westlake shows a black van pulling up to street vendors across from the Home Depot. Agents dressed in tactical gear emerge from the van, some apparently brandishing rifles. People understandably start running, and the agents pursue them on foot while deploying what looks like tear gas . It looks more like a scene from a military operation than typical law enforcement.

A witness at the "Operation Trojan Horse" raid said the Penske truck pulled up to the parking lot around 6:45am, with the driver telling people in Spanish that he had work to offer. When someone rolled up the back of the truck, masked agents jumped out as people scattered . That's pretty deceptive tactics right there.

Penske actually put out a statement saying they were not aware their trucks would be used in this way and did not authorize it. They specifically prohibit "the transportation of people in the cargo area of its vehicles under any circumstances" . So even the rental company is distancing themselves from these operations.

6. There's Actually a Court Order Against These Raids

Here's what makes this especially controversial: there's actually a temporary restraining order in place that's supposed to limit how ICE operates in Southern California. Back in July, a U.S. district judge issued this order blocking federal agents in Southern and Central California from targeting people based on their race, language, vocation or location without reasonable suspicion that they're in the U.S. illegally .

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this ruling last Friday . But the Trump administration has since appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the ruling "threatens to upend immigration officials' ability to enforce the immigration laws in the Central District of California by hanging the prospect of contempt over every investigative stop" .

Immigration advocates believe these recent Home Depot raids might actually violate this court order. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights stated that the excessive use of force during Thursday's raid "and apparent disregard of community safety standards by federal agents is deeply disturbing, may be a violation of the TRO currently in place, and must be investigated" .

LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said that video from the Westlake raid appeared to show the Trump administration violating the court's temporary restraining order, though she noted that the matter was still under investigation . So this legal battle is still unfolding as these operations continue.

7. This Is Really Messing With People's Lives

Behind all the politics and legal battles, there are real people whose lives are being seriously affected by these operations. Day laborers are being forced to weigh earning badly needed income against the risk of being arrested or deported . For people already struggling to make ends meet, that's an impossible choice.

Arturo, a day laborer who lives in Los Angeles, told NBC News: "What can you do? In this country you can't stay home. You need money for kids, bills, rent, food" . He's been in the U.S. for 25 years and regrets not learning English or trying to become a citizen, but he thought his time would be better spent earning money so he could leave sooner. Now he's stuck between deportation and poverty.

Tragically, there was even a death recently. Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a day laborer from Guatemala, died after fleeing from agents at a Home Depot parking lot in Monrovia. He ran onto a nearby freeway and was hit by a car . His niece said at a vigil: "He came here to work hard. My uncle was not a criminal. He wanted what a lot of us want: a better life" .

The constant threat of arrest is taking a psychological toll on many workers, who say they're traumatized and can't sleep after watching friends and family members being arrested and taken to jail . Even shoppers are noticing the impact - one regular customer noted that the parking lot that's usually full now has plenty of spaces because people are afraid to come .

8. So What Happens Next?

The opposition to the Eagle Rock Home Depot is already organizing. The East Area Progressive Democrats announced on Facebook that the group launched a #NoHomeDepot campaign to stop the retailer from opening in the Eagle Rock Plaza . This could turn into a pretty significant local movement.

There's also potential legal action coming. If the city attorney's office concludes that the temporary restraining order was violated during these raids, it may take action to identify the agents involved or push for stronger legal protections . LA Mayor Karen Bass has already directed the city attorney to look into whether the Trojan Horse-style action violated the court order .

Home Depot finds itself in a tricky position. They're trying to maintain neutrality, but as these operations continue at their locations, the pressure on them to take a stance will likely increase. If more videos emerge of aggressive raids in their parking lots, they might face consumer backlash beyond just LA.

For the day laborers, the situation remains precarious. Organizations like the National Day Laborers Organizing Network are working with volunteers stationed at Home Depots across Southern California to watch for immigration enforcement activity and warn workers . But it's basically a band-aid solution to a much bigger problem.

Ultimately, this is about where we draw the line between immigration enforcement and community safety. Jurado and her supporters argue that terrorizing people who are just looking for work isn't making anyone safer. The federal government argues they're just enforcing the law against people who are here illegally. Wherever you stand on the issue, it's clear this conflict isn't going away anytime soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Councilmember Jurado really opposing the Home Depot?

She's opposing it because ICE has been conducting frequent raids at Home Depot parking lots targeting day laborers, and she believes Home Depot should be doing more to speak out against these operations or protect vulnerable workers. It's also personal for her since she's the daughter of undocumented Filipino immigrants and Eagle Rock Plaza has been a gathering place for the Filipino community .

Is Home Depot actually working with ICE?

Home Depot claims they aren't notified about ICE activities beforehand and aren't involved in them. They say they often don't even know arrests have taken place until after they're over . But critics argue that by remaining silent and not taking steps to protect people in their parking lots, they're being complicit with these operations.

What's this court order everyone's talking about?

There's a temporary restraining order issued by a U.S. district judge that prohibits federal agents in Southern and Central California from targeting people based on their race, language, vocation or location without reasonable suspicion that they're in the U.S. illegally. It was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the Trump administration has appealed to the Supreme Court .

What happened during "Operation Trojan Horse"?

During "Operation Trojan Horse," border patrol agents jumped out of a Penske rental truck outside a Home Depot in Westlake and detained day laborers. It was a deceptive tactic where the driver apparently offered work in Spanish to lure people closer before agents emerged from the truck. 16 people were arrested in this operation .

Are these raids actually legal?

That's being debated in courts right now. The temporary restraining order prohibits certain tactics that rely on racial profiling, and immigration advocates argue these Home Depot raids violate that order. The Department of Homeland Security maintains that their operations are legal and targeted based on pre-intelligence about criminal activity, not racial profiling .