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Marco Rubio attacks Donald Trump for 'hiring illegal Polish workers'

'If he builds the wall the way he built Trump Towers he'll be using illegal immigrant labour to do it,' says Marco Rubio

Maya Oppenheim
Friday 26 February 2016 11:54 GMT
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Speaking at a CNN Republican debate over immigration Rubio claimed he hired illegal workers from Poland and was later fined $1 million
Speaking at a CNN Republican debate over immigration Rubio claimed he hired illegal workers from Poland and was later fined $1 million (Associated Press)

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Florida senator Marco Rubio has condemned Donald Trump for allegedly appointing undocumented Polish workers.

Speaking at a CNN Republican debate, Mr Rubio claimed Mr Trump hired illegal workers from Poland and was later fined $1 million.

“You're the only person on this stage that's ever been fined for hiring people to work on your projects illegally,” Mr Rubio said to Mr Trump.

“You hired some ... He hired workers from Poland ... People can look it up. I'm sure people are Googling it right now. Trump Polish workers. You’ll see $1 million for hiring illegal workers on one of his projects. Yeah he did it”.

The Republican presidential frontrunner dismissed the old lawsuit as something which happened decades ago.

“He brings up something from 30 years ago. It worked out very well. Everybody was happy. By the way the laws were totally different that was a whole different world,” replied Mr Trump.

Later in the discussion, Mr Rubio added: ”If he builds the wall the way he built Trump Towers, he'll be using illegal immigrant labour to do it ... It's not a sound bite. It's a fact. Again, go online and Google it. Donald Trump, Polish workers.“

Mr Rubio’s comments refer to reports of undocumented workers working at Trump properties.

In the 1980s the real estate mogul faced a lawsuit alleging that undocumented Polish demolition workers worked on Trump Tower in Manhattan.

It wasn’t until 1999 that the suit was settled but the settlement has never been made public.

More recently, in 2015, The Washington Post suggested undocumented workers may have been involved in building a $200 million luxury Trump hotel which sits six blocks from the White House in downtown Washington.

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