Florida GOP Abandons 'Deport Depot' Merch After Home Depot Protest

Florida GOP's Controversial Merchandise Sparks Backlash

The Republican Party of Florida recently launched a new line of merchandise, including baseball caps, T-shirts, mugs, and insulating drink sleeves. The items featured the phrase “THE DEPORT DEPOT” in bold, blocky stencil font across a bright orange square. This branding quickly drew attention, especially after Home Depot expressed concerns about the unauthorized use of its branding.

Within two days of the merchandise launch, the items were removed from the Florida GOP’s digital storefront, and posts on X (formerly Twitter) about the product line were deleted. However, an Instagram post showcasing the merchandise remained online for a short time. A half-hour after The Washington Post reached out for comments, that post was also taken down.

Home Depot made it clear that it does not permit any organization to use its branding or logo for commercial purposes without approval. Beth Marlowe, a spokesperson for Home Depot, stated in an email that the company had not given permission for the Florida GOP to use its brand in this way.

In response, the Florida GOP defended the merchandise, claiming it is part of their long-standing tradition of promoting products in support of candidates and issues. They emphasized that the limited-run items were not affiliated with Home Depot and were meant as a playful commentary on Florida’s “Deportation Depot” immigration center. The party argued that the designs are parodic, artistic, and protected under the First Amendment as political speech.

The merchandise came shortly after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced plans to convert an underused state prison into a migrant detention center capable of holding up to 1,300 detainees. He referred to the facility as the “Deportation Depot.” In recent months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have conducted controversial raids at Home Depot parking lots, where undocumented day laborers often gather seeking work.

The Baker Correctional Institution in north Florida will cost $6 million to convert into a migrant detention center, according to officials. This development follows the opening of the Alligator Alcatraz detention center near Everglades National Park in early July, which now holds about 1,000 detainees. That facility cost $450 million to build.

The Alligator Alcatraz facility has also been the subject of merchandise sold on the Florida GOP’s website, as the party seeks to leverage the high-profile detention center for fundraising efforts. Meanwhile, reports from inside the facility describe harsh conditions, including limited access to fresh water, rain leaking through tents covering detainees’ chain-link cells, and swarms of mosquitoes attacking both detainees and staff.

Anna V. Eskamani, a Democratic state legislator representing parts of Orlando, reached out to Home Depot representatives after seeing the Florida GOP’s new merchandise. While she welcomed the removal of the items, she criticized the broader anti-immigrant agenda, calling it offensive and arrogant.

For immigrant rights advocates, the merchandise and the use of alliterative nicknames for the detention centers feel cruel and insensitive. Thomas Kennedy, a policy consultant at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, described the names as “salt on the wound.”

Home Depot, a major home improvement retailer with over 2,300 stores across the U.S., has become a focal point of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. A June raid at a Los Angeles Home Depot sparked widespread protests, prompting the White House to send in the National Guard despite objections from state leaders. More recently, a man was killed on a Southern California freeway while fleeing an ICE raid at a Home Depot, according to local officials.

In Washington, D.C., ICE officers detained multiple people at a Home Depot in Northeast Washington, as reported in videos circulated online. This incident occurred amid the Trump administration’s signals to crack down on immigration by taking control of D.C. police.

Marlowe, the Home Depot spokeswoman, clarified that the company is not notified when ICE activities occur at its stores and is not involved in these operations.