Republicans have been forced into an embarrassing pullback by scrapping their “Deport Depot” merchandise.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced plans to repurpose a shuttered section of a state prison in the northern part of the state into a new 1,300-capacity detention center he cheekily dubbed the “Deportation Depot.” The Florida GOP was quick to get in on the act, peddling mugs, hats, and T-shirts bearing its nickname, The Washington Post first reported.
Featuring bold block-capitalized writing on a bright square background, the short-lived merchandise sale has now been taken down after The Home Depot raised a flag over its branding being used without its consent.
DeSantis’ office stressed to the Daily Beast that it has no connection to the merchandise.
He has, however, been the architect of a scheme to bolster Florida’s migrant detainment capacity through the repurposing of the Baker Correctional Institution—the state’s second such operation after the $450 million, 1,000-capacity “Alligator Alcatraz” was opened earlier this summer.
At the time of writing, the Florida GOP website had removed all trace of the Deport Depot merchandise, but a similar range of Alligator Alcatraz has remained.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, The Home Depot said: “We don’t allow any organization to use our branding or logo for their commercial purposes.”
Speaking to The Washington Post, Democrat state legislator Anna V. Eskamani said: “I’m happy to see the merchandise be removed. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t address the offensive and arrogant behavior of the anti-immigrant agenda.”
ICE’s crackdown in recent months has sparked controversy nationwide, and The Home Depot is a particularly sore point. This week, the Los Angeles Times described Home Depot stores as “tense battlegrounds” for ICE raids, with incidents having taken place at stores, including in L.A. and Southern California. Last week, a man was killed by a car in the latter as he tried to flee from a raid, eyewitnesses claimed.
Carlos Roberto Montoya, 52, from Guatemala, was pronounced dead at the hospital after the crash. In conflict with eyewitness reports per ABC7, the Department of Homeland Security said he was not being pursued at the time of the crash.
The Daily Beast has made efforts to contact the Florida GOP regarding the Deport Depot merchandise.
