Thread by @Fahrenthold

Since late last year, we've been writing about the widespread, long-term use of undocumented labor at @realDonaldTrump's private businesses. Here's what's happened so far.../1

https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold/status/1123320573487194114

First, back in December, the @nytimes reported on an undocumented employee at @realDonaldTrump's Bedminster club, who was entrusted to iron Trump's clothes and make his bed. 2/ nytimes.com/2018/12/06/us/…

After that, @realDonaldTrump's company began purging its golf clubs of undocumented workers.
One of the biggest purges was in Westchester: Trump Org fired 11 employees, about half the club's entire wintertime staff. 3/ washingtonpost.com/politics/donal…

But in firing these workers, Trump Org. revealed something about itself.
It had relied for years on illegal labor.
That didn't change, even when Trump ran for prez on the message that illegal immigration is a threat to safety and American workers. 4/
washingtonpost.com/politics/purge…

Trump's Bedminster club, for instance, employed so many illegal workers that there is now a town in Costa Rica full of ex-Trump workers, who returned home w/his paychecks. 5/ washingtonpost.com/politics/my-wh…

Now, Trump's former workers have lost the jobs that kept them silent. So we -- and, apparently, the NY AG -- are learning more about how @realDonaldTrump's company treated illegal workers.
In Westchester, workers say they were exploited, made to work w/out pay. 6/

As one former Trump manager said, when you needed to cut overtime, you leaned on the workers who couldn't say no, b/c they'd have a hard time finding another job. “You know, where are they going to go?” 7/
washingtonpost.com/politics/at-tr…

What's next?
--We're interested in talking to other current/former undocumented workers at Trump properties.
--We're checking on Trump Org.'s promise to start using E-Verify.
--We're tracking any state/Congressional investigations.
Tips? [e-mail] END/