The Home Depot in Ladera Heights shut its doors temporarily on Sunday, January 18, 2026, as anti-ICE protesters raised concerns over what they call the company’s “complicity” in violating civil rights.
About 100 protestors, many from Culver City, gathered for a “Scrape ICE” demonstration at the Ladera Heights Home Depot.
After a 20-minute warm-up that began at 2:00 pm, which included the crowd singing “We Shall Overcome” in support of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the demonstrators moved in small groups from the corner of West Slauson Blvd. and Fairfax Avenue to the store entrance.
According to those participating, the plan was to send a steady stream of demonstrators into the store with instructions to make symbolic purchases of an ice scraper — or any instrument that might substitute for one (we are in Southern California after all) — exit the store, and then turn around and return the purchased item, all with the hope of affecting the chain’s normal business practices.
ICE has conducted several raids at local Home Depot locations since the Department of Homeland Security began its immigration crackdown, including the location in Ladera Heights, in September of 2025. According to other news sources, a woman observing ICE activity was injured and hospitalized during that incident.
Sunday’s demonstrators claimed that Home Depot and other home improvement stores benefit from the immigrant community, both as customers and laborers, the presence of whom encourages bigger projects and boosts sales — yet the chain has remained silent, failing to protect or defend in any way the members of the day laborers who have been the targets of ICE raids.
After about twenty demonstrators entered the store, however, management decided simply to close the location down, interrupting busy Sunday commerce.
Terry Silberman, who was present at the demonstration, said that ‘The Home Depot management closed the front doors, and announced via loudspeaker that the store was closing, and all customers had to exit. A group [of protestors] inside lingered and sang protest songs. They were greeted with applause and cheers when they finally exited the store.”
The group left the store, singing — and was joined by the waiting crowd outside. The demonstrators continued with spontaneous a capella songs, celebrating its success, followed by brief remarks by one of the group’s organizers.
Robert Cox, of the local organization Moms and Dads Against Fascism (MADAF), stated that a “couple dozen members of the group returned to the original position at the corner, where they continued the demonstration until about 4:00.”
Silberman noted “The organizers considered the action extremely successful.”
Judith Martin-Straw
