Meg Whitman has taken a lot of flak about her handling of her former housekeeper, Nicky Diaz-Santillan. Depending on whom you ask, Whitman employed Diaz for nine years knowing she was an illegal immigrant, or Whitman was suckered by Diaz’s false papers and never questioned her right to work here in the U.S.

“[Whitman] treat me as if I was not human being … throwing me away like a piece of garbage,” Diaz said in a press conference on Oct. 5. Whitman has since defended herself in employing and then firing her ex-maid.

 “Nicky has falsified the hiring documents and personal information she provided to the employment agency that brought her to us in 2000,” Whitman said, and that she worried that some power hungry conspirators are forcing Diaz to speak out in an attempt to ruin her campaign.

The whole situation seems like a big political mess. Just reading the direct messages sent via overly dramatic press conference, the issue becomes blurred.

The main point seems to be Diaz’s status as an immigrant, but as the story unfolds, other juicy details begin to emerge. For instance, in Whitman’s response to Diaz’s accusations she said, “As required by law … I immediately terminated Nicky’s employment. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I considered Nicky a friend and a part of our extended family. I am deeply worried about Nicky and her family.”

Yet Diaz said in her original message, “Meg Whitman, don’t say I was part of your family, because you never treated me like I was.” Clearly someone here is lying. Either Diaz was a loved member of the extended family, who had to be fired out of lawful necessity and was taken in by democratic mudslinging puppeteers, or she was a helpless maid trapped in a harsh workplace with a woman who took advantage of her.

Added to the mess Whitman’s ex-nanny, Jill Armstrong. After seeing Diaz’s press conference on T.V., the one time nanny of the eBay mogul contacted the Santa Clara County Democratic Party. Eventually Armstrong told the San Francisco Chronicle a tale about Whitman’s cheapness and reluctance to pay her the money they had agreed upon in advance.

“I’d had enough,” she said about why she chose to end her two-month stint with the gubernatorial candidate’s family.

With all these people making press statements, it is hard to know what to believe. So who should we believe? Which story is more believable? If you consider your maid a “part of the extended family” do you really just fire her without trying to help her in any way?

Maybe Whitman was tight for resources after spending a record breaking $119 million dollars on her campaign, but I would assume that with all her money she could have hired an immigration lawyer for someone she considered a friend.

Whatever side you do end up taking when you get to the voting booth, try to keep in mind that one of the only things we really know for certain is that Diaz is, in fact, an illegal immigrant. Regardless of how long Whitman knew the status of Diaz’s visa, the situation shows how big an issue illegal immigrants are in California. So, I pose to De Anza student voters, if it causes this much fuss when she tries to get rid of one Mexican maid, what will happen if she tries to get rid of all of them?