In a controversial move, a Home Depot store in Los Angeles has installed high-frequency noise-emitting machines outside its premises, allegedly to deter day labourers from gathering in its car park. Advocates for the workers claim the sound causes headaches and nausea, with one labourer describing it as a sensation that "penetrates your bones".
Advocates Condemn 'Weaponised Sound' and ICE Collaboration
The devices were installed at the Cypress Park location, near a support hub run by the advocacy group Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA). The group's executive director, Maegan Ortiz, alleged the machines were deployed specifically to drive labourers away. The installation came just days after the most recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at that store, a pattern advocates strongly criticise.
At a press conference, advocates called not only for the removal of the three machines but also demanded that Home Depot publicly speak out against ICE raids in its parking lots. Ortiz stated defiantly, "We're not going to let sound machines, gates and intimidation get rid of us. Day labourers are here to stay."
A History of Aggressive Immigration Enforcement
The Cypress Park Home Depot has been a focal point for immigration enforcement. Ortiz reported that ICE agents have detained about 50 people there this year alone. In one alarming incident reported by the Los Angeles Times, agents detained a US citizen at the store whose child was in the car, and then drove off with the toddler.
This reflects a broader national trend where Home Depot stores, long informal hiring sites for undocumented day labourers, have become epicentres for aggressive enforcement, particularly under the deportation-focused policies of the Trump administration.
Official Outrage and Corporate Response
Los Angeles city councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez joined the condemnation, arguing the machines were placed on California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) land. "This is the people's land," Hernandez said on Instagram. "The people's land is being used to torture the people." She labelled the use of such devices as a form of torture.
In response to inquiries, a Home Depot spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that the company "has several initiatives we use to keep our stores safe, including human and technology resources." Another spokesperson previously stated that Home Depot does not coordinate with immigration authorities and is often unaware of raids until they conclude.
Despite the machines being switched off during the Wednesday press conference, workers said they were reactivated roughly an hour later, mounted on lamp posts under a highway overpass. The controversy highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding immigrant labour, corporate responsibility, and the use of public space for enforcement and deterrence.
