A viral broadcast of six Guatemalan labourers detained by US immigration authorities in Cambridge, Maryland, caused outrage over alleged maltreatment by a homeowner.
The workers hired to fix the woman’s home were apparently targeted because the homeowner supposedly owed them $10,000.
The clip, which was extensively posted on social media on March 26, 2026, revived debates over the abuse of immigration enforcement against workers.
Workers accuse homeowner of a premeditated ICE call.
Bryan Polanco, a Dominican national and roofing crew member, recorded the incident and recounted how agents arrived while the men were still on the roof.
“We were starting a job and immigration showed up. The truth is they’re hurting working people — people who do good for the country. That’s the same woman. We came to fix this lady’s house, and she’s the one who turned us in. Fixing up her house and still with hatred in her heart,” he said.
Legal experts weigh in on potential felonies.
According to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow of the American Immigration Council, such conduct may be criminalised under Maryland law.
Similar cases in 2019 saw homeowners charged with threatening deportation to avoid paying labour.
Reichlin-Melnick said if the allegations are true, “it seems that this would be a felony under Maryland law,” referencing statutes that prohibit obtaining services through threats of reporting immigration status.
As of Thursday, ICE had not responded, and the homeowner had not been publicly recognised or charged.
The incident is still being widely discussed online, showing difficulties between immigration enforcement and workers’ rights.
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