Highland Township, Mich. — A Michigan landscaping company is seeking answers after six of its employees were stopped by federal immigration agents while traveling to work Thursday morning.
The workers, employed by GLC Property Maintenance in Highland Township, were stopped by a group of vehicles associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company says the six employees are legally authorized to work in the United States through the federal H-2B visa program.
The encounter has left the company questioning why the workers were stopped and what prompted the federal agents to approach them.
Video recorded by one of the employees shows the interaction with ICE agents. At one point, an agent can be heard instructing the worker to put down his phone.
The workers were eventually allowed to continue after their paperwork was reviewed.
Tyler Ralko, whose parents founded the landscaping company more than two decades ago, said the incident has raised concerns among the employees and the company. GLC Property Maintenance says it is now seeking clarification about what led to the stop.
Ralko said he has contacted an immigration attorney as well as the office of U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin. He said Slotkin’s office has been helpful as the company tries to understand what happened.
The company also contacted ICE seeking an explanation. As of the latest information available, Ralko said he had not received a response.
The incident comes as immigration enforcement remains a major concern for immigrant workers and employers across the country. For businesses that use the H-2B program, the federal system is designed for temporary, nonagricultural employment. Employers participating in the program must meet federal labor-certification requirements before employing H-2B workers.
Federal rules also require H-2B employers to meet specific conditions involving recruitment, wages and working conditions. The Department of Labor says H-2B employment must generally be temporary and full-time, with workers receiving the required wage and other protections under the program.
For GLC Property Maintenance, however, the immediate issue is understanding why its employees were stopped despite the company’s assertion that they had the required documentation.
Ralko said he believes the workers should be treated respectfully and that employees who follow the rules should not be left wondering why they were singled out.
The incident has also prompted conversations among other landscaping businesses in the area. According to Ralko, several companies have contacted him and said the situation is a reminder for H-2B workers to keep their immigration and employment documents readily available while traveling to work.
GLC Property Maintenance, which has operated in Highland for more than 20 years, provides residential and commercial landscaping services in southeast Michigan. The company lists its Highland Road location as its headquarters.
For now, the company says it is waiting for more information about Thursday’s encounter and why the six workers were stopped.
ICE had not provided an explanation to the company at the time of the latest update.
