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Guatemalan tomato farm worker deported after ICE arrest near Rochester plant

Jul 8, 2026 · Rochester, NY, Guatemala

Guatemalan tomato farm worker deported after ICE arrest near Rochester plant

Nando, a Guatemalan man who worked at the Sungrow greenhouse and packing facility near Rochester, New York, was arrested by ICE agents in late June as he left work in his car with his wife and another couple. After being pulled over by unmarked vehicles near the plant's exit, agents arrested him and another man while letting their partners leave. Nando had worked at the plant for 15 months, advancing from packing to operating machinery that unloaded boxes of tomatoes. He was taken to the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, then transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, before being deported to Guatemala in early July. He is now home with his parents in a rural area without cell service, attempting to stay in touch with his wife and figure out his next steps. His arrest was part of broader ICE and Border Patrol enforcement operations at the Sungrow facility that began in mid-June, during which agents conducted surveillance in unmarked cars before dawn and at worker motels, resulting in at least six arrests near the plant.

Timeline

Jul 8, 2026Nando deported to Guatemala; returns to parents' home in rural area
Jul 1, 2026Nando transferred to detention center in Louisiana
Jun 28, 2026Nando arrested by ICE agents in unmarked vehicles as he leaves work in his car with wife and another couple; another man also arrested
Jun 28, 2026Nando transferred to Buffalo Federal Detention Facility
Jun 15, 2026ICE and Border Patrol begin enforcement operations at Sungrow greenhouse near Rochester, with agents conducting surveillance in parking lot and at worker motels

Sources

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