New allegations are placing Eric Swalwell under scrutiny, as complaints filed with federal agencies accuse the California Democrat of mishandling employment and immigration rules tied to a live-in nanny.
The complaints, submitted to the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security, center on claims that Swalwell and his wife, Brittany, took steps to keep a Brazilian national working in their home after her legal work authorization expired, per the New York Post.
According to one filing, the nanny — identified as Amanda Barbosa — came to the United States in 2021 on an au pair visa after arriving from Rio de Janeiro.
Federal Election Commission records cited in the complaint show she received payments tied to Swalwell’s campaign that year and continued working for the family into 2022.
The complaint alleges that, as her visa was about to expire in December 2022, efforts were made to extend her stay through the green card sponsorship process.
During that period, Barbosa reportedly enrolled in community college, which, under a student visa, would restrict her ability to work off campus.
Despite that, the complaint claims she continued to provide childcare services.
“Barbosa appears in numerous social media photos with the Swalwell family throughout 2023 and 2024, indicating continued close association and ongoing childcare responsibilities despite the absence of known lawful work authorization,” the complaint to DHS, dated Feb. 16, alleged.
A second complaint alleges that the payments were structured to obscure her employment status. While direct payments to Barbosa reportedly stopped for a time, records show tens of thousands of dollars in campaign expenses were instead categorized as childcare costs paid to Swalwell himself.
The filing claims that the arrangement served as a workaround while the nanny was not authorized to work.
“It’s a brazen disregard for the law. He’s harboring and employing an illegal,” said Joel Gilbert, the filmmaker and activist who filed the complaint.
The Department of Labor confirmed that a permanent labor certification tied to Barbosa was approved in 2024. Records show she later resumed receiving campaign payments in 2025.
Swalwell, who has advocated for immigration reforms, has not publicly addressed the specifics of the nanny-related allegations.
The controversy comes as his gubernatorial campaign faces additional pressure from separate accusations of misconduct, which he has denied.
“Absolutely false,” Swalwell said of those claims, adding that he would “fight them with everything I have.”
There have been no findings of wrongdoing related to the nanny complaints, and the matter remains under review.
