The merchandise was taken down, but ‘Deportation Depot’ messaging works | Opinion

It’s ironic that Home Depot — a business so closely associated with middle-America and whose co-founder supports President Trump — has balked at the state of Florida using its logo to promote a new immigration detention facility.

After the company raised concerns, the Florida Republican Party took down a line of “Deportation Depot”-themed shirts, hats and tchotchkes from its website. The items mimicked the Home Depot logo, using its instantly recognizable orange box and stenciled font without approval, a company spokesperson told the Herald/Times Bureau.

The removal of the merchandise might cost the Republican Party a few thousand dollars, though unofficial sites will probably continue to sell similar items under the radar.

But the messaging war is what matters. The clever, yet cruel and distasteful names and nicknames that Florida officials have bestowed upon the state’s immigration facilities — such as “Alligator Alcatraz” — have caught on. Immigration enforcement has turned into the real-life version of an us-versus-them video game that you can participate in by buying bumper stickers and t-shirts and sharing memes online.

There’s shock value in seeing our government encouraging people to joke about alligators and snakes eating — actually, killing — undocumented migrants in the Everglades and giggle about holding human beings in a “Deportation Depot.” The more Democrats and those who are horrified by these tactics complain, the stronger the message becomes.

American politics now looks more like the “Jerry Springer Show” and less like the 8 p.m. evening news. And the anything-goes show we’re watching is on 24/7, through cable news and social media.

With the public’s attention span so limited, “Deportation Depot” stands out. The North Florida facility that Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled last week used to be the Baker Correctional Institution, a defunct men’s prison, and can be expanded to fit as many as 2,000 immigrants. Meanwhile, a Miami federal judge is expected to weigh in this week on whether Alligator Alcatraz, deep in the Everglades, should close.

Trump and DeSantis didn’t create today’s political environment, but they have used it to their benefit and exacerbated it. Home Depot, it seems, did not want to be part of that strategy. And that’s understandable. The company might have a conservative leadership, but its home improvement stores are a staple of communities large and small, red and blue. When it comes to business, it seems, there’s no red or blue, only green.

ICE has also conducted several immigration raids outside Home Depot stores, in particular in California, where migrant day laborers often gather, waiting to be picked up by prospective employers. Certainly, being closely associated with deportations is not part of Home Depot’s business strategy.

But the controversy over nicknames isn’t about a company’s logo and reputation. It’s about harnessing outrage and cruelty for a marketing campaign. The “Deportation Depot” merchandise may have been taken down, but the message has been successfully delivered.