That Deportation Depot Merch No One Asked for Just Dropped

Yesterday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the opening of a new immigrant detention facility, called "Deportation Depot," in Baker County. Of course, the Republican Party of Florida has wasted no time monetizing the moniker.

On Friday, the Florida GOP released a line of "The Deport Depot" merch using Home Depot's signature orange branding and logo. The website sells "The Deport Deport" T-shirts, trucker hats, coffee mugs, and beverage coolers. This follows the release of the Florida GOP's "Alligator Alcatraz" merchandise last month.

"DEPORT DEPOT - Where Florida gets more done!" the Florida GOP posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "We won't back down to the radical left. Stand with @realDonaldTrump and @GovRonDeSantis and take a stand."

DEPORT DEPOT - Where Florida gets more done! We won't back down to the radical left. Stand with @realDonaldTrump and @GovRonDeSantis and take a stand! https://t.co/WHX5KkH13L pic.twitter.com/aHt4rodmFS

— Florida GOP (@FloridaGOP) August 15, 2025

A Home Depot spokesperson tells New Times that the company did not authorize the Florida GOP to use Home Depot branding.

Thousands of undocumented day laborers routinely stand outside Home Depot locations nationwide waiting for work. In mid-June, The Guardian reported on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Home Depot parking lots around Los Angeles. "At Home Depot, Ice raids terrorize the workers who helped build LA: ‘They just come and grab you’," the headline reads.
The new Deportation Depot immigration facility will open at the site of the former Baker County Correctional Institution, a state prison that closed in 2021 amid staffing shortages. The state plans to hold more than 1,300 detainees at the facility, which is located between Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

"We are calling this the Deportation Depot," DeSantis said at his press conference on Thursday. "This will be operational soon; it is not going to take forever, but we are also not rushing to do this right this day."

Yet, President Trump's very own "Border Czar" Tom Homan doesn't like the nicknames that have been used for immigration detention centers around the country.

"I mean, the men and women in [the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)], what they're doing out there every day is dangerous, it's serious," he said. "They're doing it with dignity, honor, and respect, and I think sometimes those names take away from that."

Bernard "Bernie" Marcus, the billionaire Home Depot cofounder, was an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump before he died in November 2024. He had donated millions to Trump's presidential campaigns and other Republican candidates.

In a July interview with CNBC, Ken Lagone, a fellow Home Depot cofounder, said he is "sold" on Trump and has "never been more excited about the future of America."

I think he’s got a good shot at going down in history as one of our best presidents ever," he added. "What I’m seeing happening is absolutely nothing short of a great thing." Orlando lawmaker Anna Eskamani calls the new merchandise another "sad and cringy grift" by the Florida GOP.

"This latest iteration is gross, but it also attempts to pull from The Home Depot brand," she tells New Times. "I have contacted governmental affairs professionals who represent The Home Depot in the Florida Legislature to confirm if the company approves of their logo being used in this way. And if they do, would they approve of their logo being used in other ways too?"