Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) announced Friday that he will bring Sandra Diaz, a formerly undocumented immigrant who worked at a Trump property, to the State of the Union address next week.
Diaz, a Costa Rican immigrant who has since obtained legal status, worked as a housekeeper from 2010-2013 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
{mosads}“When I first met Sandra, I was inspired by her story and her courage,” Gomez said in a statement. “It’s no small feat for a migrant from Costa Rica to stand up to a bully and hypocrite in the White House. She is living proof that President Trump couldn’t be more wrong — both morally and factually — when he demonizes those who come to America seeking a better life.”
Diaz says her supervisors were aware of her undocumented status at the time and often subjected her to physical or verbal abuse and threatened her with deportation.
“Apparently, the Trump Organization had no problem with hiring undocumented immigrants like Sandra to polish their golf clubs, serve them drinks, and make their beds. Treating these hardworking people with dignity, however, was clearly a bridge too far,” Gomez said.
Diaz quit in 2013.
Gomez previously brought Itayu Torres, a Dreamer and DACA recipient from his district, to the State of the Union last year.
The California Democrat is not the only member of Congress who is expected to bring a former Trump property worker to the president’s speech on Tuesday.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) has invited Victorina Morales, an undocumented worker who was fired from the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, to join as her guest for this year’s State of the Union.
Morales garnered wide attention in December when she told The New York Times and other news outlets about her time working as a maid at the golf club as an undocumented immigrant.
She was fired from the golf resort after she came forward publicly.
Lawmakers typically bring high profile guests or those whose presence could make a political point to the annual address to both chambers of Congress.