Lawsuit accuses security guards at Chicago Home Depot of beating, mistreating migrant laborers

    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) -- Tensons have been rising between migrants looking for work and security at some Home Depot stores across Chicago—and at one store, those tensions have even led to a lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed this week by five recently-arrived migrants—Alfonzo Gabriel Arias, Betuel Castro Camacho, Willian Alberto Gimenez Gonzalez, Luis Adrian Gomez, and Juan Carlos Montano—against Home Depot employees and security guards contracted by the company.

Two of those security guards are off-duty Chicago Police officers, according to the complaint.

"The allegations include physical assault—including punching, kicking, choking, as well as false arrest via handcuffing and aggressive detention," said legal director Kevin Herrera of Raise the Floor Alliance.

Herrera said the incidents happened between October 2023 and May 2024 at the Home Depot at 45th Street and Western Avenue in Brighton Park—while the group of men were on site trying to get work as day laborers.

"Detention within a private room in the Home Depot—where in many cases, beating and insults based on perceived national origin, ethnicity, and race continued against the individual clients," Herrera said.

Four of the day laborers who brought the lawsuit are from Venezuela, while one of them is from Colombia.

"As far as we can tell, there's no rhyme or reason for the animus," said Herrera. "I mean, we allege that it is discriminatory and xenophobic actions taken by the police that were involved."

The lawsuit also alleges the Western Avenue Home Depot store has ramped up its security in response to a "significant" number of day laborers from Venezuela and other South American countries seeking work there beginning in the fall of 2023.

In a statement to CBS News Chicago, Home Depot said, "We take allegations of violence very seriously and are investigating this issue. We believe in respecting all people, and we don't tolerate violence or discrimination."

Miguel Alvelo Rivera with the Latino Union—also a party to the case—said it is about protecting all day laborers and their rights, no matter where they're from.

"Day labor work is not new. It's as old as the city of Chicago," Rivera said. "We as a city in general, I think, can do better and should do better."

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it was made aware of the allegations in March and is currently investigating.