A woman in Maryland allegedly hired six migrant workers to remodel her home. For weeks, they performed technical and physical labor, trusting they would receive the agreed-upon payment.
However, when the work was nearly finished, the homeowner executed a plan to avoid paying the $10,000 she owed them for labor and materials.
She called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and reported the very workers she had hired. When the agents arrived at the house, the woman pointed directly at the six men who had been working on the renovation.
The workers, who were expecting to receive their pay to support their families, ended up detained while putting the finishing touches on the project.
The owner exploited the employees’ immigration vulnerability to try to escape a legitimate $10,000 debt by using immigration authorities as leverage.
