PHOENIX — Protesters rallied outside a Valley Home Depot in support of day laborers who have become targets of recent ICE raids in California, as immigration enforcement efforts are expected to increase following the passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill."
Day laborers waiting for work at hardware stores across the country now face heightened anxiety as immigration enforcement intensifies nationwide.
"With the current situation happening, one does not feel very safe being at this place," said one day laborer who wanted anonymity due to safety concerns. "When we leave the house, we are thinking that we no longer know if we are going to return. It feels stressful, it feels very bad.”
While there have been no confirmed ICE raids at or around Home Depots in the Valley, Arizona activists are concerned Phoenix could be next following the actions in Los Angeles and the passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill."
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Salvador Reza, a community organizer with Barrio Defense Committees, believes targeting day laborers trying to work is wrong.
"Nobody wants to work in 115 degrees on the roof, in your yard. They are doing the work hardly anyone else wants to do," Reza said.
In Washington D.C., deportation efforts are just beginning. The new bill signed by President Trump allocates $170 billion to immigration enforcement and makes ICE the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the country.
This spring, Border Czar Tom Homan spoke in Phoenix, warning that anyone in the country illegally could face removal.
"We will continue to prioritize public safety and national security threats but if you are in the country illegally you've got a problem," Homan said.
Despite these threats, day laborers say they need to stay to support themselves and their families, still believing in the American dream.
"My hope is they will let us be in this country. We came to look for work because it was good and there are good people. We want to be in peace at this place,” the day laborer said.
