WASHINGTON — Andrew F. Puzder, who as President Trump’s pick to head the Labor Department has come under fire for criticizing worker protections, acknowledged on Monday that he had employed an undocumented immigrant to clean his house.
The revelation potentially could derail a nomination that has elicited controversy because of Mr. Puzder’s views on overtime pay, sick leave and automation. The confirmation of Mr. Puzder, a fast-food chain executive, has stalled as he tries to divest holdings.
“My wife and I employed a housekeeper for a few years, during which I was unaware that she was not legally permitted to work in the U.S.,” Mr. Puzder said in a statement. “When I learned of her status, we immediately ended her employment and offered her assistance in getting legal status.”
The Run-Up
The podcast that makes sense of the most delirious stretch of the 2016 campaign.Mr. Puzder added that he and his wife had paid back taxes in full to the I.R.S. and the state of California.
Confirmation hearings for Mr. Puzder have been delayed as he works to remove himself from his role as the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, whose holdings include the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains.
Democrats have suggested that his nomination could be on shaky ground, in part, because he has yet to file standard disclosures and questionnaires to the Senate committee that will consider his confirmation.
Progressive groups have echoed that sentiment. “It’s long past time for Mr. Puzder to deliver on his commitment to file paperwork with the Senate and let the American people know what issues are causing so many headaches for the Trump administration,” Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress, said on Monday.
Mr. Puzder remains “all in” for the confirmation process, a spokesman said on Monday.
He is not the first cabinet nominee who has hired undocumented workers.
Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Commerce Department, Wilbur Ross, said last month that he had employed an undocumented household worker for several years. And Representative Mick Mulvaney, Republican of South Carolina and the nominee for White House budget director, said that he failed to pay taxes on a nanny that he and his wife employed after their children were born. They had to pay more than $15,000 in taxes and penalties to the I.R.S.
