Opinion: Trump's illegal employees - who's surprised?

The Trump Organisation says it will fire any of its workers it learns is in the country illegally. Photo / AP

COMMENT

If I told you that US President Donald Trump employs undocumented immigrants, you might say, "That's impossible. A staunch and principled opponent of illegal immigrants like him would never allow such a thing!"

Or, if you actually knew anything about Trump, you might say, "Of course he does."

Well guess what: "During more than five years as a housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Victorina Morales has made Trump's bed, cleaned his toilet and dusted his crystal golf trophies," according to the New York Times. "When he visited as President, she was directed to wear a pin in the shape of the American flag adorned with a Secret Service logo.

"Because of the 'outstanding' support she has provided during Mr Trump's visits, Ms Morales in July was given a certificate from the White House Communications Agency inscribed with her name. "Quite an achievement for an undocumented immigrant housekeeper," the report says.

"Ms Morales's journey from cultivating corn in rural Guatemala to fluffing pillows at an exclusive golf resort took her from the southwest border, where she said she crossed illegally in 1999, to the horse country of New Jersey, where she was hired at the Trump property in 2013 with documents she said were phony.

"She said she was not the only worker at the club who was in the country illegally." Obviously Trump doesn't personally hire every housekeeper in his clubs (although one of these undocumented immigrants was ironing his underwear; that's how close to him they were).

The Trump Organisation says it will fire any of its workers it learns is in the country illegally. But the truth is that Trump has a long history of using foreign and undocumented labour, without much regard for the American workers he says are displaced by immigrant labour and sometimes without evident concern for the law.

So will Trump's supporters, the ones who chant "Build the wall!" at his rallies and thrill to every attack he makes on immigrants, be unsettled by any of this? Of course not. With the infinite capacity for rationalisation they've already demonstrated, they'll say it all just proves what a shrewd businessman Trump is.