California Legislature Advances Landmark Legislation to Uncover The Truth About Immigration Raids at Big-Box Stores

Sacramento, CA – The California Senate Judiciary Committee today passed a landmark bill to require Home Depot and other big-box home improvement stores to share information with the public about immigration raids and arrests on their properties.

The REPAIR Act (SB 1103) is authored by Sasha Renée Pérez and sponsored by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), and endorsed by community organizations and day laborer centers across the state of California.

“Across the state, immigration enforcement activities at large home improvement retailers have created confusion and concern for workers, shoppers, and surrounding communities. In some cases, these incidents have resulted in devastating consequences, including the loss of life, like Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez who passed away fleeing an immigration operation in Monrovia,” said Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena). “Yet, there has been limited accountability for what is occurring on these premises, fueling misinformation, and posing risks to public safety. SB 1103, the REPAIR Act, would require these retailers to document and disclose immigration enforcement activity occurring on their premises to promote transparency and accountability.”

“Following our calls for The Home Depot to do the right thing, we heard silence from the company. That is why today California is taking steps to compel these stores to do the right thing,” said Cal Soto, attorney and National Workers Rights Director at NDLON.

Over the past year, large home improvement retailers, such as Home Depot, have become the site of ongoing human rights crises—DHS/ICE raids, arrests, and dozens of cases of abuse. Meanwhile, the companies have been completely silent and even unwilling to share basic information about what is happening at their stores.

The lack of information, and threat of ICE violence, has been a serious concern for customers, neighbors, and day laborers going about their business. Those affected include workers and homeowners trying to rebuild after the LA fires in early 2025, and families trying to find and support loved ones after ICE arrests and incidents of abuse.

Specifically, to address this crisis of misinformation and lack of transparency, the REPAIR Act would establish straightforward transparency requirements for big-box home improvement stores when there is immigration enforcement at their stores.

“This is for so many workers, neighbors and families who have lost loved ones to this human rights crisis, and for those who have been demanding answers about their parents or their neighbors,” said Fanelly Millan, Senior Organizer for the Pomona Economic Opportunities Center (PEOC), who testified at the hearing and was joined by day laborers from across the state in support of the bill. “For all of them, we will uncover the truth,” added Millan.

In the past two weeks, over 3,000 people have signed a petition calling on Home Depot to “do the right thing” and share what they know about ICE’s raids at their stores:

When asked, the company won’t even tell the public which locations have been hit, or what the company is doing in response. Communities are left guessing what is true, what is rumor, and whether it is safe to go about daily life.

At a bare minimum, the company should share what it knows. It should provide customers, workers, and neighbors with accurate information about the raids its stores are attracting.

While the raids are literally intended to cause chaos, confusion, and fear, little has been done to mitigate the crisis at these stores. SB 1103 would begin to repair that harm and help ensure transparency and accountability.

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