Michigan Waterpark Under Federal Investigation for Trafficking Illegal Immigrant Workers

A Michigan waterpark is currently facing scrutiny amid allegations that it has been bussing illegal immigrants from Chicago to work at the facility.

This investigation was triggered by a pay dispute over the weekend that revealed deeper issues regarding employee treatment.

The incident began when the manager of Splash Universe, a waterpark hotel in Dundee, contacted the police around 6:50 p.m. on Saturday, reporting that a female employee had thrown a phone at him, hitting him in the head.

However, when law enforcement arrived, they found that none of the five employees present could communicate in English, prompting officers to call in an interpreter from the Michigan State Police, according to WTVG.

Once the interpreter was on-site, a 30-year-old woman revealed that she was an undocumented immigrant who had been brought to Splash Universe by the manager.

She claimed she was promised $90 per day in wages, along with room and board. Despite working for nine days, she reported that they had not yet received any payment, as detailed in the police report.

Another employee, a 25-year-old woman, used Google Translate to inform the officer that she was pregnant and had not eaten in two days.

She explained that the argument had escalated after they were informed that their pay would be reduced to $5 per hour instead of the initially promised $90 per day.

Additionally, she alleged that the manager had threatened to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they did not comply with his demands.

Dundee Police also spoke with the manager, who indicated that he did not wish to press charges against the employee who assaulted him.

When officers requested documentation for the employees, the manager asserted that they were legally authorized to work, although he was unable to provide any verification, as reported by WTOL.

Splash Universe issued a verbal statement claiming that “everybody who works here is fully documented and completely authorized” with Social Security numbers and work permits.

The manager disclosed to the police that he had picked up the employees from a shelter in Chicago, reiterating his claim of offering them $90 a day and denying any allegations regarding the $5 hourly rate.

A front desk clerk at the waterpark added that the hotel owners had transported the workers on two chartered buses from Chicago.

Upon investigation, Dundee Police contacted ICE, which confirmed that three employees with identification were in the country illegally.

They informed the responding officer that it appeared the hotel was involved in trafficking immigrants, according to WTVG.

The hotel owner later explained to WTVG that the workers had come from a consulting firm associated with the Illinois Department of Human Services for training in general contracting. He also noted that three of the workers had been fired for poor performance.

The Dundee Police intervened and ensured that the terminated employees received $450 in cash, followed by the officer purchasing them meals at McDonald’s and taking them to a Greyhound station in Toledo.

A social worker from the Social Club Shelter in Chicago confirmed that all the workers were undocumented immigrants without family in Michigan.

The shelter had arranged for Greyhound tickets to facilitate their return to Chicago after what the social worker described as an “extremely weird situation” that had been recorded on their phones.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are expected to continue investigating the matter.

A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations stated to WTVG that due to the ongoing investigation, they are unable to comment at this time.

Splash Universe, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, was purchased by brothers Jacob and Joseph Garmo, who initially planned to reopen in the fall of 2022, but the reopening did not occur until April 2024, according to WTOL.