WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) led 25 Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to the Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Home Improvement executive leadership requesting information regarding the growing number of federal immigration enforcement operations occurring at or near Home Depot and Lowe's store locations nationwide.

These operations have increased significantly since President Trump took office, particularly after White House Advisor Stephen Miller directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target these stores in order to meet detention and deportation quotas. As a result, there have been numerous troubling incidents at or near these locations that have endangered workers, customers, day laborers, vendors, and surrounding communities. These incidents have included the arrests of U.S. citizens, physical altercations, dangerous vehicle pursuits, medical emergencies, injuries, and the detention of individuals attempting to document enforcement activity.

Some of these incidents have been fatal. In August 2025, Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old laborer, was fatally struck by a vehicle on a nearby freeway after fleeing federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot in Monrovia, California. In another incident outside of a Home Depot in Los Angeles, federal agents arrested a U.S. citizen, entered the individual's vehicle, and drove away while the individual's one-year-old daughter was strapped to the back seat of the car.

The Members wrote:

"While we recognize that your companies do not control federal immigration enforcement operations and may not receive advance notice of such activity, these operations have occurred repeatedly at or near your stores across the country. As Members of Congress, we believe it is important to understand what information your companies possess regarding these incidents and what steps are being taken to protect the safety of workers, customers, bystanders, and surrounding communities."

"Doing nothing, while there is a human rights crisis happening in your community or at your stores is not an option. And basic transparency is a modest and critical first step," said Salvador G. Sarmiento, staff attorney and campaign director at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). "Everyone is doing what we can, and we need these stores to show up, and do something. Because right now, these stores are doing nothing, while their own neighbors and customers are in the cross-hairs."

The letter was signed by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), J. Luis Correa (D-Calif.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Luz M. Rivas (D-Calif.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Raúl Ruiz (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr. (D-Calif.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Jesús G. "Chuy" Garcia (D-Ill.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Adelita S. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Scott H. Peters (D-Calif.), and is endorsed by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).

Read the full letter HERE and below.

June 24, 2026

Ted Decker
Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer
The Home Depot, Inc.
2455 Paces Ferry Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30339

Marvin Ellison
Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer
Lowe's Home Improvement
1000 Lowe's Blvd
Mooresville, NC 28117

Dear Mr. Decker and Mr. Ellison:

We write to express our serious concern regarding the federal immigration enforcement activity that has occurred at Home Depot and Lowe's store locations since January 2025. While we recognize that your companies do not control federal immigration enforcement operations and may not receive advance notice of such activity, these operations have occurred repeatedly at or near your stores across the country. As Members of Congress, we believe it is important to understand what information your companies possess regarding these incidents and what steps are being taken to protect the safety of workers, customers, bystanders, and surrounding communities.

Since January 2025, there have been numerous instances of federal immigration enforcement activity occurring on or adjacent to your stores' properties nationwide, with a significant number occurring in Southern California. This surge in enforcement was specifically catalyzed by the orders of Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, who specifically directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target stores like Home Depot to drive up detention and deportation quotas. These operations have raised serious safety concerns for workers, customers, vendors, day laborers, and surrounding community members, including U.S. citizens. Individuals seeking opportunities to earn a living, conduct business, or simply make purchases at your stores have found themselves unexpectedly caught up in enforcement activity occurring in and around commercial spaces frequented by the public.

For example, in June of 2025, several individuals were detained by immigration enforcement agents outside a Home Depot in Hollywood, California. When a U.S. citizen bystander attempted to document the activity with his phone, he was tackled to the ground and detained for 24 hours.¹

Outside a Lowe's store in Pacoima, California that same month, a tamale vendor who ran her business adjacent to this store for more than a decade was violently detained during an enforcement operation. Despite pleas that she couldn't breathe, federal agents continued to use force until she eventually suffered a heart attack. She was rushed to the hospital where she remained for five days until her eventual release.²

In August 2025, federal immigration agents conducted a raid at a Home Depot store in Monrovia, California. Subsequently, Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old day laborer, fled federal agents and was fatally struck by a vehicle on a nearby freeway.³ In another incident that month, a man in a rental truck wearing plain clothes with no identification approached several laborers outside of a Home Depot in Westlake, California.⁴ Moments later, masked immigration agents jumped out of the back of the truck and conducted a raid that resulted in the arrest of 16 individuals. In November 2025, federal immigration agents arrested a U.S. citizen outside of a Home Depot in Los Angeles, California. Afterwards, agents entered into the individual's vehicle and drove away with the individual's one-year-old daughter strapped to a car seat in the back. The child was later picked up by another family member at a federal office in Los Angeles.

These are just a few examples of the numerous, troubling incidents that have occurred at or directly surrounding your stores since January 2025. Additionally, these incidents do not affect only the individuals targeted by enforcement actions. They also affect store employees, customers, vendors, contractors, neighboring businesses, and members of the public who happen to be present when enforcement activity occurs. When heavily armed federal agents conduct enforcement operations in busy commercial areas, the potential consequences extend far beyond those being detained. Incidents have reportedly involved physical altercations, vehicle pursuits, medical emergencies, injuries, and the detention of individuals attempting to document enforcement activity.

Further, at the beginning of this year, Home Depot investors asked the company to undergo a review of its contract with Flock Safety, a third-party surveillance vendor, to determine potential civil rights and privacy violations after it was reported that the surveillance data was shared with ICE.⁵ Additionally, the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund submitted a similar request for Lowe's to identify risks associated with the collection of sensitive information by Flock cameras.⁶

These incidents and developments raise important questions regarding what your companies know about these operations, whether any coordination or communication has occurred with federal agencies, and what steps are being taken to ensure the safety of individuals present at or near your properties.

To better understand the scope of these incidents and your companies' response to them, we respectfully request your written responses to the following questions no later than June 29, 2026.

1. Since January 2025, how many federal enforcement operations have occurred at, on, or immediately adjacent to Home Depot and Lowe's store properties?
   1. Please provide a state-by-state breakdown.
   2. Please identify the number of stores that have experienced one or more such operations.
   3. To the extent known, please identify the federal agencies involved in these operations.

2. What information do Home Depot and Lowe's maintain regarding immigration enforcement activity occurring at or near store locations?

   1. Do either company maintain records, incident reports, internal communications, or databases tracking such activity?

   2. How and when are corporate leadership, regional management, or store leadership informed that an enforcement operation has occurred?

3. Have Home Depot or Lowe's received advance notice of immigration enforcement operations from any federal agency since January 2025?

   1. If so, under what circumstances was notice provided?

   2. Which federal agencies provided such notice?

4. Have Home Depot or Lowe's communicated with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, or any other federal agency regarding immigration enforcement activity occurring at or near store locations?

   1. Please describe the nature and frequency of any such communications.

   2. Have either company raised concerns regarding employee, customer, vendor, contractor, or community safety arising from these operations?

   3. Have either company requested that federal agencies alter, limit, relocate, or refrain from conducting enforcement operations on company property?

5. What policies, procedures, or guidance are provided to employees, supervisors, managers, and security personnel regarding immigration enforcement operations occurring at or near store locations?

   1. Have these policies changed since January 2025?

   2. What training, if any, has been provided to employees regarding these situations?

6. What steps have Home Depot and Lowe's taken to protect the safety of employees, customers, vendors, contractors, day laborers, and surrounding community members during or following immigration enforcement operations occurring at or near store locations?

   1. Have either company conducted internal reviews, assessments, or investigations regarding safety risks associated with these incidents?

   2. If so, please summarize any findings and resulting policy changes.

7. Have Home Depot or Lowe's received complaints from employees, customers, vendors, contractors, or community members regarding immigration enforcement activity occurring at or near store locations since January 2025?

   1. Please describe the nature and volume of such complaints.

   2. What actions, if any, were taken in response?

8. Have Home Depot or Lowe's evaluated whether immigration enforcement operations occurring at or near store locations have affected customer safety, employee safety, store operations, traffic flow, or access to surrounding businesses? If so, please describe any findings.

9. Since January 2025, have federal agencies requested information, records, access, or assistance from Home Depot or Lowe's in connection with immigration enforcement operations? This includes, but is not limited to:

   1. Surveillance footage or security camera recordings;

   2. License plate information;

   3. Employee records:

   4. Customer records;

   5. Contractor or vendor information; and

   6. Access to company property.

For each category of request, please identify the information requested; the requesting agency; whether the request was complied with; and whether the request was accompanied by a warrant, subpoena, court order, or other legal process.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

1. U.S. citizen says his arrest by federal agents at Hollywood Home Depot was worth it if others got away - ABC7 Los Angeles
2. Border Patrol arrested her selling tamales. Then she suffered a heart attack. 'I told them: I can't breathe' - Los Angeles Times

3. Man fatally struck on 210 Freeway while fleeing Monrovia ICE raid identified as 52-year-old Carlos Roberto Montoya from Guatemala - ABC7 Los Angeles

4. Federal agents use Penske rental truck as 'Trojan Horse' to raid L.A. Home Depot - Los Angeles Times

5. Amid ICE raids, some Home Depot investors want to know how law enforcement uses its surveillance data | Reuters

6. a2026lowescompaniesinc-pro.pdf