'We are not criminals or seeking a free ride in America': Undocumented workers at a Trump golf club request meeting with the president in a letter
- In a letter to President Donald Trump, 21 former employees, all undocumented, requested to meet with the president.
- Some of the former workers who signed the letter worked in close proximity with Trump and his family, including maids who cleaned his clothes and made his bed.
- "We all pay our taxes, love our faith and our family, and simply want to find a place for ourselves to make America even better," they wrote in the letter.
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"You know we are hard workers and that we are not criminals or seeking a free ride in America," this was written in a letter addressed to President Donald Trump from undocumented workers who were formerly employed at Trump Organization golf clubs.
The letter, which was made public in a Wednesday report by The Washington Post, featured 21 signatures from former employees, asking for a meeting with the president and the opportunity to stay in the US. They wrote that they are "modest people who represent the dreams of 11 million undocumented men, women, and children who live and work in this country."
In their time at Trump National Golf Clubs, the undocumented workers wrote that they worked "very hard to make [the President's] golf clubs a success and to keep members and visitors happy." They also noted in the letter that Trump knew "many" of them and "will recall how hard [they] worked" for him, his family, and his golf clubs.
Maids who cleaned Trump's clothes at the Bedminster golf course in New Jersey, were among those who signed the letter, along with Juan Quintero, personally worked for the president's sons at their homes, according to The Post.
Some managers knew of their immigration status and hired them anyway, a few of the undocumented workers told The Post. But the Trump Organization said fake documents were used and undocumented employees were fired as soon as they found out.
Sparked by the rhetoric used by Trump regarding immigration, undocumented former workers at Trump properties shared their stories with the The New York Times, The Post, and other outlets.
"We all pay our taxes, love our faith and our family, and simply want to find a place for ourselves to make America even better," the workers wrote in the letter.
In the letter, the former employees described their relationships with their families, and how they hope to maintain those relationships by obtaining legal status in the US. The White House did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
"We want to wake up every day next to our spouse, give our children kisses before they go off to school, and as mothers and fathers, we want to work hard so that our children will follow our example so that their future is part of the destiny of the United States of America," they wrote. "However, in order for this to happen in harmony, we need the opportunity to legalize our immigration status."
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.