Reflecting on his vision for the company, The Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank remarked, “Bernie [Marcus] and I founded Home Depot with a special vision – to create a company that would keep alive the values that were important to us. Values like respect among all people…and giving back to our communities and society. And here is the key – a value means something only when you live it.” 

The Home Depot supports its founders’ vision by including “Doing the Right Thing,” “Respect for All People” and “Taking Care of Our People” as three of its core values.

But as the company’s recent actions demonstrate, The Home Depot isn’t living up to its values. Far from it. 

The company’s silence and indifference in the face of the Trump administration’s campaign of terror being undertaken by ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents is very troubling. These agents, who are regularly showing up at Home Depot locations, are indiscriminately, violently and deceptively targeting customers and employees. The majority of those being detained represent no threat to their communities; they’re just trying to make an honest living. 

Scared for his safety, a man fled an ICE immigration raid outside the Monrovia, CA Home Depot and was killed by a vehicle. 

Last year, under pressure from President Trump, the company quietly removed website content highlighting its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives that were designed to “attract and retain the best employees.” Trump has called DEI programs immoral, un-American and radical, believing they are a form of social engineering. We believe the opposite: DEI is not only good for business, it builds a more equitable and just society and strengthens our local communities.

Saying nothing, doing nothing, is not “living your values.” 

That’s why we respectfully insist that The Home Depot take concrete measures to demonstrate that your company is honoring its values. That they are more than just words on the company website.

These measures include public statements and formalized corporate policies that:

• Call the Trump administration to account by publicly condemning the ICE raids happening at your stores.
• Demand that Congress pass legislation to safeguard against secret police-like tactics currently being used by federal immigration agents.
• Affirm the Fourth Amendment rights of individuals regardless of immigration status by providing “Employee Only” safe spaces to protect your staff from ICE detentions without judicial warrants.
• Provide training for staff on how to respond safely and lawfully if immigration agents arrive at a Home Depot store.
• Provide legal assistance for employees who are detained by federal immigration authorities and financial support for their families.
• Publicly recommit to the DEI initiatives previously in place.     

Home Depot locations are not just home improvement stores. They are gathering points for day laborers, contractors and immigrant workers seeking honest livelihoods. They are part of the fabric of thousands of communities across the country. But right now, because of the company’s silence and complicity, that fabric is being torn apart.

Please, live The Home Depot values. Do the Right Thing. Show Respect for All People.