Celebrity chef José Andrés is backing out of a restaurant deal with Donald Trump over the 2016 GOP contender’s controversial comments about Mexican immigrants.
“Donald Trump’s recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward with opening a successful Spanish restaurant in Trump International’s upcoming hotel in Washington, D.C.,” Andrés said in a statement according to The Washington Post.
{mosads}“More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests,” Andrés added. “And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently nationalized citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.”
Trump sparked outrage when he criticized Hispanic immigrants and Mexico during his presidential launch event last month. Since then, a number of businesses have cut their ties to the real estate tycoon and reality TV star over the remarks.
“They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” Trump said at New York City’s Trump Tower.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he said. “And some, I assume, are good people.”
Andres had faced mounting pressure to sever ties with Trump from an online petition launched on July 2.
“We are proud to have Jose Andres in Washington, D.C., which is why we hope he decides that Donald Trump is not someone he should do business with,” the Change.org petition says.
The petition has more than 2,600 signers as of 3:05 P.M. ET on Wednesday.
Trump is working on a $200 million project redeveloping Washington D.C.’s Old Post Office Pavilion into a luxury hotel.
His son vowed Wednesday that Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup could face legal repercussions for abandoning the hotel’s planned restaurant.
“Our relationship with Jose Andres has always been a good one, but simply put, Jose has no right to terminate or otherwise abandon his obligations under the lease,” said Donald Trump, Jr.
“In the event Mr. Andres defaults in the performance of his obligations, we will not hesitate to take legal action recover all unpaid rent for the entire 10 year term together with all attorneys’ fees and additional damages we may sustain,” he said.
“Mr. Andres’ obligations under the lease are clear and unambiguous,” he added. “We will also enforce the exclusivity provisions preventing Mr. Andres from opening a competing restaurant anywhere in the D.C. area.”
This story was updated at 3:18 p.m.