Michael Wildes, appearing on CNN. Via YouTube

When celebrities need counsel on U.S. immigration policies, New York lawyer Michael J. Wildes often lands the work.

He has scored O-1 visas—reserved for “individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement”—for the Brazilian soccer star Pele and the British singer-songwriter Boy George. He helped the famous French chef Jean-Georges obtain U.S. citizenship. He's represented at least five past Miss Universe pageant winners. His father, Leon Wildes, represented John Lennon in his U.S. immigration battle.

Wildes is back in the news thanks to his latest star clients—first lady Melania Trump and her parents. As President Donald Trump campaigned on a hard-line immigration agenda, questions swirled about the residency status of his in-laws, Viktor and Amalija Knavs. Those questions picked up anew as Trump called for the end of a family reunification process known as “chain migration.”

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Knavses, natives of Slovenia, are legal permanent U.S. residents—and immigration lawyers said they believed Trump's in-laws benefited from chain migration.

“I can confirm that Mrs. Trump's parents are both lawfully admitted to the United States as permanent residents,” Wildes, based in the New York office of Wildes & Weinberg, said in a statement to The Washington Post. “The family, as they are not part of the administration, has asked that their privacy be respected, so I will not comment further on this matter.”

Wildes declined to comment Thursday. Here's what to know about Wildes, a New Jersey resident and “staunch” Democrat, former federal prosecutor, adjunct professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and lawyer for the first lady and her parents.

Wildes was a Hillary Clinton fan. Wildes was a supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. When the lawyer appeared on “Good Day New York“ to discuss questions surrounding the first lady's immigration status, he told the hosts Melania Trump had not done anything illegal. He added that he did not support Trump's presidential bid. “I think this whole thing is moot,” Wildes said. “First of all you should know I'm a Democrat, that I do represent the Trump Model Agency, but I'm an ardent supporter of Secretary Clinton and if I felt that this was an issue politically it would be something that I would step away from.” In 2008, he donated $1,000 to Clinton's presidential bid. More recently, he has contributed to the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, with donations of $500 and $1,000 in 2010 and 2016, respectively.

And he disagreed with Trump's travel ban. In an interview on CNN, Wildes criticized Trump's Jan. 28 travel ban executive order, which barred entry by foreign nationals from seven majority-Muslim countries and was later enjoined by federal courts. Wildes said that while Trump had good intentions, the order was misguided and legally flawed. “The genuineness of the president and the first lady when it comes to immigration and compliance … is heartfelt,” he said. “The way they are executing this may be a campaign promise returned but is completely unconstitutional and inappropriate as we're fighting a difficult economy and trying to surmount ourselves.”

In January, in an appearance on Fox News, Wildes said he was “disappointed by the words and the tone” of Trump's reported use of an obscenity to describe some countries. “The president should be speaking in a presidential capacity with a better choice of words. But the fact is the dialogue has deteriorated.” Wildes added: “Family reunification was a hallmark of the 1965 act. It's now been given a derogatory term of 'chain migration.'”

Special counsel Robert Mueller knows what he is doing. On the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election: Asked in an appearance about former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos' guilty plea, Wildes expressed faith in special counsel Robert Mueller's abilities. “Indictments are leverage and a person who pleads guilty might be actually be given some form of immunity and then be able to help with the prosecution of a third party. I don't know whether or not there is any collusion or conspiracy. Robert Mueller is a very seasoned federal law enforcement official, he knows how to leverage this.”

Nobody looked great in the James Comey firing. Speaking to China Global Television Network after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey last year, Wildes said the move did “not reflect well on both sides,” but that it was important to “get the confidence restored” in the FBI. “This is a president that is a practical gentleman,” Wildes said. “In all truth, he doesn't keep people in place unless they're deserving of [his] trust.” The network did not disclose that Wildes worked for the first lady or her family.

Wildes is a former mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, where he still lives. Wildes was a two-term mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, from 2004 to 2010. In 2009, Wildes went to court to stop renovations on a mansion where former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi planned to stay, and won in part. Later, when Gaddafi tried to stay in Bedford, New Jersey, on land owned by Trump, the billionaire would not allow him onto the property.