Republican state Sen. Camera Bartolotta faced questions from a journalist about an alleged labor trafficking operation involving Haitian migrants in Charleroi, a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania that has seen its population nearly double due to an influx of immigrants.
Stop what you’re doing and watch.
🚨 🚨 🚨
pic.twitter.com/lDPlyl1Vyb [1]— Steve Gruber (@stevegrubershow) February 23, 2026 [2]
Journalist Frank Scales confronted Bartolotta in a video posted on X [3] by the Surge Philly account. In the footage, Scales asked Bartolotta about a staffing agency accused of paying illegal alien workers in cash. Bartolotta, who serves as vice chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, responded that she was “unaware” of the specific agency. She declined to state whether she supports former President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans and left the scene with her husband, Bill DeWeese.
The confrontation stems from an investigation exposing illegal immigrant labor trafficking at local food packing facilities. The probe focused on staffing agencies offering cash payments to workers without documentation, including at a location called “Pay Now” on Route 88 in Charleroi.
Federal authorities have been investigating Prosperity Services, a contractor supplying workers to Fourth Street Foods, a meatpacking plant in the town. Investigators allege the company knowingly paid illegal aliens in cash and provided transportation and housing for them. Nearly $1 million in cash was seized [4] from the company’s affiliates in October 2024.
Charleroi’s population surged from about 4,200 in 2022 to roughly double that size, driven by a 2,000% increase in its immigrant population [5] over the past two years, with most arrivals from Haiti. The Biden administration expanded temporary protected status for up to 300,000 Haitians in June, allowing them to work legally in the U.S. until at least February of this year.
Local impacts include strained schools, where the Charleroi School District hired additional English language learner teachers and an interpreter at a cost exceeding $400,000, with more expenses projected. Driving hazards have increased, with residents reporting frequent accidents involving new drivers. The police budget even rose by $73,000 to handle the population growth.
Trump referenced Charleroi [6] in a January 2025 executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, citing the town alongside Springfield, Ohio, as examples of communities overwhelmed by migrant influxes. The order halts refugee admissions until they align with U.S. interests and requires a report on resuming the program.
Bartolotta publicly defended the Haitian community [7] against Trump’s remarks. In a statement, she said the immigrants came legally to escape violence in their home country, contribute to the workforce at places like Fourth Street Foods, pay taxes, and open businesses.
“They are not a burden on local resources,” Bartolotta said, adding that they are not linked to increased crime. She pushed back against what she calls misinformation, emphasizing community integration efforts such as providing clothes for school events.
Bartolotta’s husband, DeWeese, is a former Democratic speaker of the Pennsylvania House who served two years in prison [8] after a 2012 conviction on corruption charges, including conflict of interest and theft for using state resources in political campaigns. He now works as a lobbyist for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents food industry employees.
The video investigation also documented interactions at staffing agencies, where employees discussed cash payments and hiring without standard benefits. One segment showed a worker saying, “They have cash,” referring to payment methods.
Federal probes continue, with Fourth Street Foods cooperating by providing documentation. Owner David Barbe stated the plant employs 700 immigrants from 41 countries and requires legal hiring. No charges have been filed in the ongoing investigation.