Florida GOP backs down, pulls ‘Deport Depot’ merch after Home Depot objects

Just days after the Republican Party of Florida released new merch for the state’s second immigrant detention center, dubbed “Deportation Depot,” it has quietly removed the line from its site.

The Home Depot-inspired swag included T-shirts, coffee mugs and hats adorned with colors and branding mimicking those used by the home improvement retailer. It was launched by the party via social media Friday.

Home Depot has told several news outlets that it did not authorize the Florida GOP to use its likeness. The party has since ripped all “Deportation Depot” merchandise from its site.

In a since-deleted post on X, Florida GOP wrote about the merch, “DEPORT DEPOT – Where Florida gets more done! We won’t back down to the radical left. Stand with @realDonaldTrump nad @GovRonDeSantis and take a stand!”

As it turns out, no stand could be taken against the tool and construction retail giant.

Home Depot’s objection comes despite its leadership historically leaning pro-Trump. Deceased co-founder Bernie Marcus was a MAGA mega-donor, and in a CNBC interview published this summer, co-founder Ken Langone said he has “never been more excited about the future of America.”

Nationwide, Home Depot locations have long acted as pickup locations for laborers looking for day-to-day work — a demographic largely consisting of immigrants. The stores have recently been subject to ICE raids for this reason.

The Republican Party of Florida previously launched merch to coincide with the opening of the Everglades immigrant detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” which was erected in just eight days in late June and has since been subject to legal battles and controversy.

That merchandise includes T-shirts, beverage coolers and a hat, depicting cartoon images of alligators outside of what appears to be San Francisco’s shuttered Alcatraz Island prison. “Alligator Alcatraz” items remain listed and available for (not cheap) purchase on the party site.

“Deportation Depot” was announced by DeSantis at a news conference on Thursday, where he said the state will “soon” open another jailing facility at the Baker Correctional Institution. Temporarily closed in 2021, the institution is located in Sanderson, about 50 miles north of Gainesville and 50 miles west of Jacksonville.

Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said it will accommodate 1,310 beds and hold up to 2,000 people in a temporary capacity.

Guthrie said the facility will provide the same services offered at the Everglades center, which is supposed to include three meals a day, access to recreation yards, legal and clergy services, laundry and pharmacy, as well as “everything that is required under federal or state law,” the Florida Phoenix reported.

“This will be operational soon. It’s not going to take forever but we’re also not rushing to do it right this day. They’re doing what they need to do to get it done in all deliberate speed,” DeSantis said at the news conference Thursday.

The project will cost $6 million to build out, DeSantis said. If it were done at Camp Blanding, a possibility he and other officials had previously discussed, it would have cost “a lot more.”

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This article appears in Aug 13-18, 2025.