FBI asked to investigate Trump organisation

NEW YORK: A group of House Democrats have asked the FBI to launch an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s company is a ‘‘criminal enterprise’’ after mass firings at two of his golf clubs where longtime workers were only recently discovered to be in the country illegally.

Representative Raul Grijalva, a Democrat in Arizona, and nine other House members sent a letter yesterday to the head of the FBI, Christopher Wray, asking for an investigation into whether the Trump Organisation knowingly hired workers without the proper documents.

The letter says the allegations by workers interviewed in media reports raise ‘‘serious questions of criminal activity and numerous violations of employment laws’’ including conspiracy charges and forced or coerced labour.

The letter also asks that the fired workers be offered protection from deportation as potential witnesses to crimes.

Trump has repeatedly called for cracking down on companies that hire people in the country illegally, saying they should get hit with a ‘‘huge financial penalty’’.

The Trump Organisation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Anibal Romero, a lawyer for 27 workers who were fired or left on their own at four Trump clubs, said he had already been questioned by the FBI and the offices of the New Jersey and New York state attorneys general.

The letter also cited allegations some managers had threatened to tell authorities workers were in the country illegally if they complained about work conditions. — AP