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LA Home Depot Accused of Using High-Pitch Noise to Drive Away Day Laborers

Home Depot describes the measures as a site-specific safety effort, not coordination with immigration authorities.

Overview

  • Advocacy group IDEPSCA and local officials say three devices mounted on parking-lot lamp posts at the Cypress Park store emit painful high-frequency sound that discourages workers from gathering.
  • Workers and advocates reported the devices were switched back on about an hour after a press conference, though an ABC7 reporter on Friday morning did not hear any sound at the site.
  • Advocates link the installation to recent ICE operations at the location and cite roughly 50 detentions this year, including a Los Angeles Times–reported incident involving a detained U.S. citizen whose toddler was driven away by agents.
  • Home Depot told ABC7 the location employs unique safety measures, including K-gate barriers, saying the steps aim to prevent illegal overnight parking and asserting the company does not coordinate with immigration raids.
  • IDEPSCA and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez condemned the devices as harmful and are pressing for their removal, with activists planning to urge customers this weekend not to shop at the retailer.