Michael Wildes, a former Englewood mayor, wrote a letter in an attempt to clear Donald Trump's wife. Watch video
TRENTON -- After questions arose last month about whether she followed immigration law when she arrived in the United States 20 years ago, Melania Trump turned to an attorney who once ran a New Jersey town.
Michael Wildes, a New York City lawyer who was mayor of Englewood from 2004 to 2010, wrote a letter released Wednesday that refuted rumors that Trump, the wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, violated immigration policies.
Melania Trump celebrated the letter on Twitter:
-- MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 14, 2016
Wildes, who still lives in Englewood, has ties to Trump family. He has represented models from Donal Trump's modeling company in the past, as well as contestants in the Miss Universe pageant, which Trump once owned.
But don't expect Wildes to vote for the celebrity businessman and former Atlantic City casino tycoon. Wildes is a lifelong Democrat who backs Trump's challenger, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
"It's a surreal experience when you're a supporter of Secretary Clinton but maintain the professional trust of the other side," Wildes told NJ Advance Media. "But this is a clear case of compliance."
Donald Trump has made hard-line immigration reform a key part of his platform, calling for the U.S. to tighten immigration policies and crack down on illegal immigration.
When she spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, Melania Trump -- who was born and raised in Slovenia -- noted that she became a U.S. citizen in 1996 after her modeling career took off. She called it "the greatest privilege on planet earth."
But questions surfaced in August when the New York Post re-published photos from a shoot she did in New York City for the French magazine Max in the 1990s. The author of a Melania Trump biography placed the year at 1995.
Critics said the timeline didn't quite add up and questioned when exactly she obtained the correct legal status.
Donald Trump dismissed the speculation.
"She has got it so documented," he said at a rally last month. "So she's gonna have a little news conference over the next couple of weeks."
That never happened. But Wildes said Melania Trump contacted him to work out the issue.
Attorney Michael Wildes (left) and his father, attorney Leon Wildes (right), are photographed recently with Yoko Ono. Wildes, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, is now a partner at noted New York City firm Wildes & Weinberg, which focuses on immigration law. His father, Leon Wildes, represented John Lennon in the former Beatle's immigration woes in the 1970s.
Michael Wildes was previously a councilman in Englewood, a Bergen County borough, before being elected mayor. His firm also has offices in town.
In his letter for Trump, Wildes wrote: "It has been suggested by various media outlets that in 1995, Mrs. Trump illegally worked as a model in the United States while on a visitor visa.
"Following a review of her relevant immigration paperwork, I can unequivocally state that these allegations are not supported by the record, and are therefore completely without merit," he wrote.
Wilde added that contrary to the reports, Melania Trump never worked in the United States in 1995 because she was never in the United States in 1995."
He said immigration documents show her first entry to the country was in 1996.
The letter did not come with copies of the documents, and Wildes told MSNBC this week that it's Melania Trump's "personal preference" not to release them.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.