Products are selected by our editors, we may earn commission from links on this page.
A 30-minute Facebook livestream recorded from the roof of a home in Cambridge, Maryland, ignited a wave of outrage after showing federal agents detaining construction workers. The video, filmed by a co-worker identified as Bryan Polanco, showed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents waiting on the lawn as workers climbed down from the roof before being taken into custody. Clips of the livestream quickly spread across social media, drawing millions of views.
In one of the clips shared and reported by multiple news outlets, Polanco alleged that the homeowner had called ICE after hiring the crew for a roofing job. “We came to fix this lady’s house, and she’s the one who turned us in,” he said in Spanish. Discussion across social media alleged the homeowner owed the workers $10,000 for a three-day job, fueling speculation that the call was made to avoid payment.
However, ICE disputes that version of events. A spokesperson told Newsweek the operation was a “targeted enforcement operation, not a tip from a caller,” and that six individuals were arrested near Cambridge on March 23. The agency stated that several of those detained had final orders of removal and that one had previously been convicted of illegal reentry.
The Homeowner Denies Calling ICE
The woman identified in reports as Karen Trevino has strongly denied calling immigration authorities. In interviews with The Baltimore Sun, she said neither she nor her father, who owns the property, contacted ICE. She said the allegations are false and have led to harassment and threats against her family.
Trevino forwarded threatening messages she received after the video went viral, including warnings suggesting people would target her home. The backlash proves how quickly online narratives can escalate before official investigations conclude.
Snopes, an independent, nonpartisan fact-checking organization, examined claims circulating online that the woman had been arrested or charged in connection with the incident. Their review found no court records supporting allegations that she was arrested for extortion or misuse of a federal agency. As of that report, the claim that police arrested her remained unproven.
What ICE and Local Authorities Say Happened
ICE maintains the arrests were part of a broader enforcement effort in the region. In statements to Newsweek, the agency reiterated that the operation was targeted and not prompted by a homeowner’s tip. Officials said several of those detained had final removal orders, describing their presence in the U.S. as unlawful.
Local authorities have emphasized that they were not involved in the federal operation. Cambridge police stated they did not participate in the raid. City officials also noted that while the property could face unrelated permit enforcement issues, those matters were separate from the ICE action.
The roofing work reportedly resumed days later. That detail shows how quickly the story took on a life of its own. Even if the arrests were said to be a part of a broader federal operation, the accusations about unpaid wages are what fueled the outrage and kept the debate going.
The Legal and Social Questions Still Unresolved
Maryland law includes provisions addressing situations in which someone allegedly threatens to report a worker’s immigration status to obtain labor or withhold wages. State law prohibits obtaining labor through the “wrongful use” of notifying law enforcement about a person’s undocumented status. If such conduct were proven, it could potentially carry legal consequences.
At the same time, ICE publicly encourages members of the public to report suspected immigration violations and operates anonymous tip lines. That creates a complicated legal and ethical landscape, particularly when allegations arise that reporting may be tied to financial disputes. In this case, however, federal officials maintain no such tip prompted the arrests.
For now, competing narratives remain. Workers’ allegations, the homeowner’s denial, ICE’s official statement, and the lack of documented criminal charges leave the story unresolved.