Campaign Action
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez is calling for a federal investigation of Donald Trump’s businesses following serious allegations from a group of recently fired undocumented immigrant workers—and those workers, Menendez writes, should also be protected from deportation while any investigation continues.
“Because the individuals I met with and others that may step forward appear to be potential witnesses to a crime and may provide the evidence necessary to conduct an appropriate investigation,” the New Jersey senator wrote to FBI director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, “I urge you to consider requesting or supporting authorization for them to remain in the U.S. during your necessary investigation.”
Victorina Morales, a former housekeeper at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, said that she initially enjoyed her work, but was then physically and verbally abused by a supervisor. She further alleges that resort management provided her with fake paperwork. The documentation, her attorney said, has already been turned over to investigators. Morales was one of the workers who recently met with Menendez and other members of Congress.
“The workers I met with describe a hostile environment where they were verbally abused and threatened,” Menendez said. Immigration advocacy group America’s Voice reported that “the potential criminal charges against the Trump Organization include trafficking, conspiracy, false document procurement, and forced or coerced labor. The Trump Organization could also be exposed to additional tax, labor, and civil liabilities if the allegations are investigated and found to be true.”
These brave workers are putting everything on the line, taking on an anti-immigrant president while having no legal status themselves. “We are starting to raise our voices, and no one is going to silence us anymore,” said Morales, who was a State of the Union guest of New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Tuesday night. “Especially now, I feel like people are listening to us, so many people in this country are hearing us. I am so happy that I finally came forward, that I found my voice.”