If the wall would solve the problem of undocumented residents, Republicans would have zero interest in building it. If it were possible to deport all 12 million undocumented residents, Republicans would have zero interest in doing so. If we could deport undocumented criminals and allow the rest to work here legally, without fear, Republicans would have zero interest in doing it, because it would horrify them. The interest of the Republican Reich is served only if the problem remains the same. Republicans practice the hypocrisy of exploitation.
If I told you that President Trump employs undocumented immigrants, you might say, “That’s impossible. A staunch and principled opponent of illegal immigrants like him would never allow such a thing!” Or, if you actually knew anything about Trump, you might say, “Of course he does.”
During more than five years as a housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Victorina Morales has made Donald J. Trump’s bed, cleaned his toilet and dusted his crystal golf trophies. When he visited as president, she was directed to wear a pin in the shape of the American flag adorned with a Secret Service logo.
Because of the “outstanding” support she has provided during Mr. Trump’s visits, Ms. Morales in July was given a certificate from the White House Communications Agency inscribed with her name.
Quite an achievement for an undocumented immigrant housekeeper.
Ms. Morales’s journey from cultivating corn in rural Guatemala to fluffing pillows at an exclusive golf resort took her from the southwest border, where she said she crossed illegally in 1999, to the horse country of New Jersey, where she was hired at the Trump property in 2013 with documents she said were phony.
She said she was not the only worker at the club who was in the country illegally.
Obviously Trump doesn’t personally hire every housekeeper in his clubs (although one of these undocumented immigrants was ironing his underwear; that’s how close to him they were). The Trump organization says it will fire any of its workers it learns is in the country illegally. But the truth is that Trump has a long history of using foreign and undocumented labor, without much regard for the American workers he says are displaced by immigrant labor and sometimes without evident concern for the law. Let’s run through some of his history:
- Trump regularly hires foreign workers for jobs as housekeepers and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. While the law requires an employer to first make an effort to find employees in the United States before filing a request to hire foreign workers, Mar-a-Lago accomplishes this by complying with the letter of the law but in a manner seemingly designed make sure it gets no American applicants: by placing two small ads deep inside the Palm Beach Post to which an applicant may reply only via mail or fax — not online, not by phone and not in person.
- According to an investigation by Mother Jones, Trump’s modeling agency, Trump Model Management, brought foreign models to the United States to work, despite the fact that they were in the country on tourist visas, a violation of the law. “Two of the former Trump models said Trump’s agency encouraged them to deceive customs officials about why they were visiting the United States and told them to lie on customs forms about where they intended to live.” They were crammed into small apartments for which the agency charged them exorbitant rent and had other expenses deducted from their fees, leaving them with little income and the constant knowledge that they could be sent out of the country at any moment. “It is like modern-day slavery,” said one model.
- Trump Tower was built in part by undocumented Polish workers who sued Trump to get wages they said they were owed. "We worked in horrid, terrible conditions,” said one. ”We were frightened illegal immigrants and did not know enough about our rights.”
It’s hard to know how much Trump knew at the time he was employing all of these undocumented immigrants; he tends to plead ignorance. But we certainly see a pattern of a man who wants things done cheaply and isn’t too concerned about the rules… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Washington Post>
Chris Hayes has more depth on the ladies in Bedminster in this video.
As have seen, this is just one case of many violations by Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten. But he isn’t the only Republican doing it. For example, Little Lord Willard, aka R-Money [R-UT], did the same thing, when he was running in 2012.
The pattern works like this. Republicans in government keep undocumented workers in a state of fear, so that Republicans in agriculture or business, especially in the service industries, by pretending to be undocumented workers’ protectors, can exploit them with excessive work hours, sub-standard wages and deplorable living and work conditions. If we were to solve the problem, Republicans would lose the fear they use to keep undocumented workers cheap and obedient. That is the hypocrisy of exploitation. It is a Republican trait.
RESIST!!
15 Responses to “The Hypocrisy of Exploitation”
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You could also have tagged this with GOP Greed, because that is the motivation. They don’t set out to be hypocrites – they become hypocrites because their respectable-sounding priniples (there days, barely respectable) don conform to their money-making activities. If they realize there’s a discrepancy (unlikely) or if it is pointed out to them (more likely but still not certain, they get angry at the person who pointed it out.
I considered that, but figured I had it covered under the “class warfare” tag.
I do too. Managing tags has become too big a job to handle, so I’ve let it go,
What I find most concerning, is the safety and health of these brave people who have come out to report this to the authorities. dt doesn’t give two sheets about these folks, who have worked tirelessly for him, for years. He doesn’t care one itoa about them. Glad to see they have legal representation too.
Republicans are good at exploitation, crooked businessmen like trump are masters at it!!
Hate to tell the idiot that the big drug dealers bring their drugs in mainly by boats and planes. That a wall isn’t going to fix the issue. The Border Patrol catches the ones that are brought in by vehicles and on human bodies..
These immigrants want to work, not given freebies. They are willing to do the jobs that Americans hate doing.
tRump is saying he can make this carry on for years?? He’s really off his rocker.
The question that keeps popping here is “Were Drumpf and other Republicans aware that they were employing illegal immigrants?” To which the answer can only be “Yes”, if they continue to do so after the first stories about this surfaced two years ago. When Mar-a-Lago came under scrutiny of the media because Drumpf spent more time there than at the White House, the employment of illegal immigrants also got a lot of attention too.
I distinctly remember reading about those odd little ads hidden deep within the Palm Beach Post here at Politics Plus which ended with the usual platitude that it would looked into. If there are still undocumented immigrants employed by Drumpf and his family, it is again obvious that they can get away with it and they’ll keep on making money by exploiting people because they they have a system working in favour of them.
Hypocrisy no longer covers this behaviour, that word is far too weak for people condoning, propagating, or even practising, modern-day slavery.
I agree. What is hypocritical is pretending to oppose their presence.
Daily Kos has an article, Investigators now have fake documents reportedly given to immigrant workers by Trump resort, which provides additional information. As Lona says, “…“Were Drumpf and other Republicans aware that they were employing illegal immigrants?” To which the answer can only be “Yes””. I agree with her. This from Daily Kos:
And the modeling agency — was Melania Trump part of his modeling agency? As I recall reading, she arrived on a visitor’s visa but began working as a model fairly quickly — in contravention of her visa.
As to the Polish workers, I read a piece awhile back where their day to day life was described. They had not been paid but were still required to work. With no money, they slept at the construction site huddled together to stay warm.
All of these people wanted nothing more than an opportunity at a better life, but instead they received low wages and abuse, with deportation held over their heads like a sword of Damocles.
Trump’s own words demonstrate how he operates: “Real power is, I don’t even want to use the word: ‘Fear.’” It is evident that the undocumented workers were afraid of being deported. I can quite imagine that the managers and other workers at Trump’s businesses might also be afraid of losing their jobs if they didn’t do what Trump expected.
Lona: “Hypocrisy no longer covers this behaviour, that word is far too weak for people condoning, propagating, or even practising, modern-day slavery.” — And the slave master’s lash is fear and deportation.
I think I’d go for “Well, d’oh! OF COURSE!” rather than a simple “yes,” but otherwise you and Lona are spot on.
At some point, the entire Trump clan will be revealed as a huge, corrupt crime family.
At least that’s my fervent prayer.
My prayer too. But I keep wondering how it is going to happen. It certainly seems to me that that exposure has already been done, “bigly.” And yet … it isn’t that his base don’t believe it, it’s that they DON’T CARE.
If, nationwide, Evangelical pastors – specifically white Evangelical pastors – would preach on Revelation 3: 14-22 on the same Sunday – well, frankly, as plain as it is, I’m not even sure that would do it. But I AM sure it will never happen.
Amen!
Thanks and pooped hugs to all.