A Maryland homeowner allegedly called federal immigration agents on a crew of six immigrant workers after they had nearly completed repairs on her home, in what a co-worker described as a scheme to avoid paying roughly $10,000 owed for the job, according to multiple U.S. media reports.
Bryan Polanco, identified as a co-worker of the detained men, recorded the incident on video and posted it to social media. In the footage, reviewed by Newsweek, Polanco speaks in Spanish about witnessing the arrests firsthand.
“I’ve seen many videos, and sadly today I had to experience it,” Polanco said in the clip.
The incident in Cambridge has drawn widespread attention online and renewed debate over the vulnerability of undocumented workers in industries like construction, where immigrant labor is common.
Advocates have long warned that workers without legal status face exploitation precisely because employers or clients can use the threat of deportation to avoid honoring payment.
Newsweek reported that it contacted the Department of Homeland Security, the construction company believed to have employed the workers, the homeowner, and Polanco for comment on Thursday. No responses were cited in the initial report.
The arrests come amid an intensified federal enforcement campaign. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have expanded across the country under the current administration’s mass deportation policy, producing a steady stream of viral videos documenting detentions in workplaces and residential neighborhoods.
Labor rights organizations have argued that enforcement actions targeting workers on job sites create conditions for wage theft and abuse, discouraging immigrants from reporting nonpayment or unsafe conditions.
No charges related to fraud or wage theft against the homeowner have been publicly reported.
Maryland Homeowner Accused of Calling ICE on Workers to Avoid Paying $10,000 Bill
