- Donald Trump hired undocumented immigrants in 1991 to avoid paying overtime on the Trump Tower construction project. Other Trump Organization properties, including a New Jersey golf club, employed undocumented immigrants. (The New York Times, 4/27/1991; 4/9/2019)
- Melania Trump was paid for 10 modeling jobs in the United States worth $20,056 that occurred during August, September, and October of 1996 before she had legal permission to work in the country. (AP News, 11/4/2016)
- Elon Musk arrived in the USA on a J-1 student visa to study at Stanford in 1995, but worked without authorization before transitioning to an H-1B work visa. (The Guardian, 10/26/2024)
These are inconvenient facts which should be cited widely whenever the Trump Administration or its supporters claim they are merely applying immigration law as written and enforcing existing statutes. Before terrorizing minority communities or violating the civil rights of Americans and immigrants alike, this administration should first apply these rules to themselves and suffer the consequences accordingly.
