The Daily - Undocumented and Working for Trump

Episode Date: December 14, 2018

Last week, Victorina Morales came forward and said that for the last five years, she had been working as an undocumented immigrant at President Trump’s golf club in New Jersey. A couple of days ago, we visited her in her home with Miriam Jordan, the New York Times reporter who first broke the story. Guest: Victorina Morales, a former housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., and Miriam Jordan, who covers immigration for The Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

I think we're on our way to Bound Brook, New Jersey. We're in, I believe we're in, if I'm reading my map correctly, we're in south Bound Brook. It looks like we're about 15 minutes south of Bedminster, which is where the President's Golf Club and Country House are. Are we here? This is the address? It's supposed to be a greenhouse. Okay, I think we'll just

get out let's tell her we're here welcome to Vicky's hi I'm obviously not Vicky. Hi, how are you? Hi. Nice to meet you. Hi. Thank you very much. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi.

Thank you. Yeah. Miriam, she's going to come back after being away a week, so she's apologizing that it's not as good as it ought to be.

Yeah, we told her. Well, this is him. Why don't we sit and we told her. What are we saying? I don't want to get in the way. So how this is going to work, Miriam, is Michael's going to ask questions in English as he knows how to speak. And then if you would help translate,

and then this is going to be just kind of a conversation. We'll make it work. Cheers. Okay. Muy buenas tardes a todos. Es un gusto tenerlos aquí en casa. Y es un gusto abrirle la puerta a ustedes. Okay. Vicky welcomed you all into her home. She says it's a humble home.

She's an immigrant. She loves this country. And she'd like to share with you why she's here. Well, I want to thank you because we're grateful to be here. I guess my first question is just how are you doing? How are you holding up given everything that's just happened in the past few days? Vicky said that she's feeling better because she has left this place where she was working. She is relieved that she's come out of this place where she felt fear.

From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today. Last week, Victorina Morales came forward and said that for the last five years, she had been working as an undocumented immigrant at President Trump's golf club in New Jersey. A couple of days ago, we visited her in her home

with Times immigration reporter Miriam Jordan, who first broke the story. It's Friday, December 14th. Okay, I want to know more about your experience before you came to the United States and where you came from. So maybe you can describe the place where you are from. He says that she comes from the countryside, from a place where her house was all alone in a particular area. To go from one place to another, because there wasn't electricity, people used a flashlight to guide the way. That's what you turned this water bottle into, a flashlight.

Okay. Vicky said that she comes from a very poor background, extremely humble. Yo comía frijoles, espinaca, nada de carne, no, no. So at what age did you decide to leave Guatemala? And what exactly motivated you to leave? She was 35 years old when she came to the United States. It was 1999. She wanted to give her children a better life, and she'd heard that you could make good money in America.

So her husband came ahead, and she followed. It took her a month and a half to journey from Guatemala all the way to the border in California. She came caminando, caminando, caminando, walking, walking, walking the whole way through Mexico. She said that they only hopped in a car when they were chased on occasion to escape. On arrival at the border, she spent those last two weeks waiting for the right moment to cross. Okay. When she crossed the border in California, she was met by a coyote or a smuggler who took her to Los Angeles, where he bought her a plane ticket and told her that she would be on her way to meet her husband in New Jersey. She said that she felt this great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction of finally being in this country.

She said, thank God, gracias a Dios, thank God I'm here. And this might seem like a small matter, but how did you get on a plane at that point, or do anything without documents, or did you get documents? Allá en Los Ángeles, el muchacho que me mandó un avión, él me dio dos papelitos así. anything without documents? Or did you get documents? In Los Angeles, the gentleman who helped her get on the plane gave her two small pieces of paper, as she puts it. And he told her that they're good for her to get work. And when you apply for any job, this is what you need. So keep them. And Miriam, what's your understanding of what these documents were? It's quite clear that the documents were a fake Social Security card and a green card or a permanent residence card, which immigrants typically need to present to secure work.

And it sounds like that may have kind of come along with whatever the transaction was with the Coyote. Yeah, I think it's a package deal in which, you know, this network of people brought her across the border, supplied her with documents, got her a plane ticket, and made sure she ended up in her home right here in New Jersey. And how, Vicky, did you end up working at the Trump National Bedminster Golf Course,

the golf club? A friend of Vicky's told her that there was work at the golf club and that the pay was very good. Vicky, how did you know that this would be a place that would be okay with employing someone like you who did not have legal status? She asked her friend, you're sure you don't need good papers to work there? Because she knew a powerful man owned that golf club.

she knew a powerful man owned that golf club. This is the first time I think I can translate. He said, that's not important. We have many immigrants here without papers. It's fine, it's fine. As this process continues, at some point, does someone ask you for papers of any kind? Piki arrived for her interview on a Sunday morning. The housekeeping supervisor drove up in a golf cart

and asked her to hop in, and they went to visit some of the suites on the property that are around the pool, and the supervisor asked Vicky what kind of work she knew how to do, and she said, well, you know, I can dust, I can scrub, I can sweep. And at a certain point, she said, I don't speak English. I don't have papers.

And she said, oh, that's OK. Here we want people who want to do the work. We're not worried about the papers. And that was the supervisor of housekeeping. Vicky, I wonder if you could describe the golf club for me, what your impression of it is. What does it look like? When Vicky first, you know, started working there,

she thought, oh, it's just such a beautiful, special place. Wow. God, thank you for affording this opportunity. There wasn't that anything in particular impressed me, but just the fact that it was such a beautiful place and that somebody like Vicky, she's saying, who's so poor with barely any education, to be in such a place was such a privilege. And what did you do in this job? What were your daily tasks?

You know, she did everything there. She vacuumed, she dusts, she cleaned the suite. She vacuumed, she dust, she cleaned the suite. She cleaned Ivanka's house. She cleaned her toilets. She washed her clothes. She ironed them. She washed the clothes of Mr. Trump. She made his bed.

Vicky said that only three of the housekeepers were allowed in Mr. Trump's house, and she was one of them, a great source of pride. Meaning that you were very good at your job. She said that she knows she did a good job, and in fact, Mr. Trump, when he encountered her on three occasions, praised her for the good work that she did. Wow. Oh my gosh. occasions, praised her for the good work that she did. She'll never forget the time that she was washing the windows of the pro shop when, you know, suddenly Mr. Trump showed up right behind her, got out of his golf cart and grabbed her rag and proceeded to

wipe the top of the windows. Since she's very short, she was having trouble reaching them. And he gave her a big assist, then asked her her name. Oh my gosh, this is good, good, good. Told her she was doing a good job and gave her a $50 tip. So in 2015, this person who has been your employer, your boss's boss's boss, the guy who owns the place, he starts to run for the office of president. How aware were you, day to day, of the fact that he was running for president and what his message was as a candidate?

She said that when he started to campaign, she sensed a change when they shaved some days off of their work week, saying that it was because the president was coming and they couldn't be around. She's suggesting that she was asked and others not to be there who were undocumented because they lacked papers. Even when he was a candidate? Even when he was a candidate. And what changed at the club when he was elected?

She said that once he became president, the pressure mounted in terms of how quickly she had to do the work and how well she had to do the work. how quickly she had to do the work and how well she had to do the work. It upset her that she felt that people like her direct supervisor, the housekeeping supervisor, felt somehow emboldened by Mr. Trump's election victory

to treat her and other undocumented immigrants more harshly and to demand more of them than they had before. But in addition to that, she said that she was no longer allowed to clean the president's house. Because of your status? Of your status. She said she imagines that it's because she lacks papers that she was no longer allowed to clean his house. It's what most humiliated Vicky,

the fact that she could no longer go into the president's house and do her work there. And at this point, do you think that the president and those around him knew about your status? Did that make you think, oh, they definitely know? It never occurred to her that the president knew or didn't know about her immigration status. All she wanted was an explanation. The manager arrived one day and told Vicky that she had to renew her papers, that is her Social Security card, I assume, and her green card because they had expired.

She said, I don't know where to get them. And he said, well, I can figure this out or something to that effect. Went off somewhere, came back and basically had arranged for someone to take her to a place where another set of phony documents could be produced or manufactured on the spot. phony documents could be produced or manufactured on the spot. And you know, Michael, that was enough to keep Vicky employed at the golf club to this day. Vicky, it sounds like you had some very positive interactions with Donald Trump before he ran for president. Was there a particular moment after he became president, something he said or did, that really changed the way you felt about him?

When she turned on the TV and she saw the president speaking about immigrants in derogatory fashion. These aren't people. These are animals. And we're taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that's never happened before. The Post reports that according to two people briefed in the meeting, the president asked, why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?

Referring to African countries and Haiti, the president. And when you prosecute the parents for coming in illegally, which should happen, you have to take the children away. in illegally, which should happen, you have to take the children away. She was offended because after all, you know, it's mainly immigrants, Hispanics who do the work at the golf club. There are very few Americans. And we want to tell people, I'm sorry, you're coming into the country illegally. We don't want you in the country. That's it. It's now over. She couldn't reconcile the person who she had met at the golf

course and who she took a liking to with this character on television who was maligning immigrants. And Vicky, which Donald Trump do you think is the real Donald Trump? You know, according to Vicky, the real Donald Trump is the Donald Trump who separates children from their mothers. children from their mothers, who swears he'll build a wall and who uses the caravan to rail against people like her. Vicky just decided,

you know, I've had enough. I can't take this anymore. She was crying sometimes on the job. Her co-workers were in tears on the job, and she just decided that, you know, it was time to come forward. Someone had to speak up. Vicky, when you decided to speak with Miriam and with The New York Times, did you understand that it could end your job working at the golf course? And more than that, that it could end your ability to live in the United States?

Vicky said that she was aware that she would lose her job and that it occurred to her that she could even be deported. But it was time to come out of this hole and to, you know, speak out. And she doesn't regret doing it. Did anyone contact you from your work since the story was published? No, nadie. What she's saying is that the supervisor contacted her before the article was published when I'd sent them questions. And she didn't answer.

And there was no one else. Do you know if you still have a job working at the Trump golf course? She doesn't want to return to work there, and she doesn't expect that she would have a job there if she wanted one. She wants the president to know that immigrants like her are tired of the humiliation And they deserve to be treated better Basically she was prepared to take the risk because You know, even if something happens to her, you know, she's speaking for everybody. This is something that needed to come to light.

The truth needed to be said. Mickey, thank you for letting us into your home and thank you for sharing your story with us. Gracias. Gracias a ustedes y que Dios me los bendiga. And Miriam, thank you very much for everything. My pleasure. In November, Victorina Morales applied for protection under U.S. asylum laws. Her claim for asylum is based on her fear of returning to Guatemala after a member of her family was targeted and killed there.

As long as her application is pending, she is protected from deportation. If asylum is denied, her attorney can appeal the decision, a process which would unfold in the courts over several years. Therefore, she cannot be removed from the country in the foreseeable future. Morales is also exploring a lawsuit against the Trump Golf Club in New Jersey, claiming workplace abuse and discrimination. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, bye. Bye. Have a good night. Good night. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. I sincerely hope that we are living the beginning of the end of one of the biggest tragedies of the 21st century, the conflict in Yemen. On Thursday, the head of the United Nations announced that the warring parties in Yemen

had agreed to a ceasefire in a crucial port city, marking the most significant step toward peace there in years. You have reached an agreement on Odeida port and city. The UN will play a leading role in the ports, The UN will play a leading role in the ports. And this will facilitate humanitarian access and the flow of goods to the civilian population. And it will improve the living conditions for millions of Yemenis. The Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels have agreed to withdraw their forces from the city, Hodeidah, which is the main point of entry for humanitarian aid into Yemen.

The Senate this afternoon stated that we will not continue participation in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis on earth. A few hours later in Washington, both Democratic and Republican senators voted resoundingly to withdraw American military support from the Saudi side of the war in Yemen and to hold the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman,

personally responsible for the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Just because you're our ally, you cannot kill with impunity and believe you can get away with it. The votes were a rare move by the Senate to limit presidential war powers and to formally rebuke the Trump administration for its ongoing embrace of Saudi Arabia.

They need us a lot more than we need them. And to not realize that, I think, is a mistake. So I just believe that the relationship, while valuable in the past, has become too much of a burden. And as long as MBS is around, I don't think it will ever be normal again. The resolution to withdraw U.S. military support in Yemen is largely symbolic for now, since the Republican-controlled House blocked a similar measure earlier this week. But Democrats were quick to point out that after they take control of the House in January,

they will be eager to pass the measure. If Paul Ryan thinks on his way out the door, you know, his last public service gift to humanity is covering up for Saudi Arabia, great. He can make that his legacy, but we're going to be around next year and we'll figure out ways that there can be consequences for this. The Daily is produced by Theo Balcom, Lindsay Garrison, Rachel Quester,

Annie Brown, Andy Mills, Ike Sreeskanarajah, Claire Tennisketter, Michael Simon-Johnson, Jessica Chung, and Alexander Lee Young, and edited by Paige Cowan, Larissa Anderson, and Wendy Dorr. Lisa Tobin is our executive producer. Samantha Hennig is our editorial director.

Our technical manager is Brad Fisher. Our engineer is Chris Wood. And our theme music is by Jim Grunberg and Ben Lansford of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolman, Michaela Bouchard, Benjamin Laffin, Bridget Christie, Jim Yardley, Stella Tan, and Jonathan Wolfe. That's it for The Daily.

I'm Michael Barbaro. See you on Monday.