Undocumented immigrant workers fired from Trump golf clubs seeking White House meeting

Nearly two dozen immigrant workers who were fired from President Trump’s golf clubs earlier this year are requesting a White House meeting to argue that they shouldn’t be deported.

The letter, signed by 21 maids, groundskeepers, kitchen staff and other former employees from five of Trump’s clubs, calls on the president to “do the right thing” and give them a chance to talk to Trump “about helping to give us a chance to become legal.”

“We are modest people who represent the dreams of the 11 million undocumented men, women and children who live and work in this country,” the letter says. “You know we are hard workers and that we are not criminals or seeking a free ride to America. 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.”{mosads}

The letter was met with a response on White House stationery Wednesday in what appeared to be a form letter, The Associated Press reported Friday. The letter reportedly said that “we are reviewing your message,” according to the AP.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Some of those who signed the letter were maids at the Trump golf course in Bedminster, N.J.; others reportedly worked personally for the president’s sons at their homes and at a New York hunting lodge, The Washington Post reported.

Former employees emphasized their years of service to the Trump family, saying they “worked very hard to make your clubs a success and to keep your members and visitors happy.”

The Trump Organization has fired close to 20 undocumented workers from its golf clubs in recent months, the result of an audit conducted by the Trump Organization after The New York Times reported in December on undocumented people working as housekeepers at the organization’s Bedminster property.

The Trump Organization has since reportedly adopted E-Verify, the government’s voluntary online system for reviewing an employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S.

Reports indicate that the organization’s practice of hiring undocumented workers may have been more widespread than previously reported, even as Trump continues to highlight his stance against illegal immigration as a cornerstone of his presidency and reelection campaign.

A number of former undocumented workers have gone public with their stories, visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill, protesting outside Trump rallies, and urging authorities to investigate the Trump Organization’s hiring and payment practices, the Post reports.