MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman

Interview

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HAYES: Once again the President has thrown a grenade into negotiations  over border security by demanding money for a wall. Yes, wall, W-A-L-L in  all caps numerous times today that he promised time and time again Mexico  would pay for. And since Democrats and Republicans came together yesterday  in good faith to work things out over a spending deal that would keep the  government open pass February 15th, Trump accused Republicans of "wasting  their time."

He accused Nancy Pelosi of playing games with wall funding, complained to  the Daily Caller that Paul Ryan reneged on the deal to fund wall in  exchange for his signing of a 2018 spending bill. Trump seems to be  blaming anyone he can to the fact that he and he alone promised that Mexico  would pay for a wall that it`s not going to pay for.

The fundamental problem here which we keep hitting our heads against over  and over is that the wall was a con always. It was an applause line he`s  trying to make real. And it`s not just the wall that`s a con, the whole  stick in all of its lurid bigotry and grossness about how undocumented  immigrants are a threat is a con. The way you know this is that at his own  Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the Trump Organization hired dozens of  undocumented workers, employed them for years and then fired them amid the  border wall fight.
At least one undocumented employee said that Trump even shielded her from  The Secret Service. Next week, two undocumented immigrants who worked at  the President`s own Golf Club will be at the State of the Union Address.

Joining me now is the person who invited one of them, Congresswoman Bonnie  Watson Coleman, a Democrat from New Jersey. She represents a district  where undocumented immigrant Victorina Morales lives.

Congresswoman, good  to have you here.

REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN (D), NEW JERSEY: Thank you.

HAYES: How did you connect with Miss Morales?

COLEMAN: My chief of staff reached out to some activists that we had been  working within New Jersey and inquired about whether or not there was  someone who fit this description, was available and lived in our district.  And just so happens that Ms. Morales actually lives in my district.

HAYES: What is the message here in inviting her? What do you think this  says about the President and immigration at this moment?

COLEMAN: I think a couple of things. Number one is that she really is the  face of undocumented immigrants. She`s here too for a better life. She`s  a decent person, creates no problems, helps the economy, works. This is a  real face of immigration. She`s also the face of Donald Trump hypocrisy.  What he demonized immigrants of going to shut down and actually since he`s  been president but the businessman has exploited them, use them --

HAYES: Happily.

COLEMAN: -- happily, made money off of them, and in fact, facilitated  they`re getting illegal documents in order to be able to work. And so it  just highlights his hypocrisy.

HAYES: Which is the real one in your mind, the bigot who says they`re  killers and they`re rapists and all this stuff or the businessman who wants  them to you know, iron his own towels?

COLEMAN: I think the businessman is the real Donald Trump. The one who`s  been a failed businessman, who doesn`t pay his bills who keeps people out  there on the lam, who was discriminating -- has family discriminating  against minorities in their apartment buildings and things of that ilk. I  think that`s the real Donald Trump. I think that as a president the real  Donald Trump is a bigot.

HAYES: What -- do you have concerns or fears about exposing Ms. Morales to  law enforcement of any kind given the President`s rhetoric, given the fact  that ICE has been upping their arrests, and the effect she will be in a  very high-profile position.

COLEMAN: Well, her face is already known. Her -- she`s been very  courageous, very brave to even be a voice for those who otherwise wouldn`t  have a voice. We did make some enquiries. She has filed for asylum. She  is a witness to possible illegal actions and employee violations of an  employer. If ICE were to try to do something like that, it would be  nothing more than retaliation and I think that there would just be uproar.  I just don`t see that happening in this case. But of course we had  concerns and we did make some enquiries.

But since she is an asylum applicant and since she`s also a potential  witness to a very important employment case and violations of other laws, I  think she`s pretty much going to be safe.

HAYES: I should note, the Trump Organization said earlier this week it  will now begin implementing e-verify which is the system to verify the  documentation of employees.

COLEMAN: The folks got caught.

HAYES: Yes. It certainly looks that way. Final question. Kirstjen  Nielsen, my understanding is you`re on the Homeland Security Committee,  you`re not the chair, but your committee is attempting to bring her before  her committee to talk about some of the things. It appears she gave  misleading deceptive route by false testimony about child separation and  she is avoiding your committee is that right?

COLEMAN: Yes. But my bet is on Bennie Thompson who`s the chairman of our  committee and getting her to come before the committee.

HAYES: You`re confident --

COLEMAN: She`s never been a good witness with a few times she`s been  before the committee. I mean, that is not -- this is not an administration  with whom you can take their word. So you know, splitting hairs and  falsifying information and saying their facts is not uncommon. But it`s  different now. Democrats are in charge of the House of Representatives and  we`re going to deal with the facts.

HAYES: Congressman Bonnie Watson Coleman, thank you so much for coming and  making time.

COLEMAN: Thank you for having me.

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