When Trump was elected, the Tico community of the United States wondered what would happen as he was outwardly incredibly against immigration while privately paying immigrants to work for him.
Such is the story of many Costa Ricans from Pérez Zeledón. Many follow contacts they have who have gone to Bound Brook, New Jersey. Once there they feel as if they are home because just about everyone there is also Costa Rican.
They buy fake documents, such as a social security card, for $100. With them they were able to work at Donald Trump’s golf club, 40 minutes away. They make about $9 an hour, only a fifth of what Americans make, and taxes are taken out of their wages although the social security numbers are fake.
There were about 30 Ticos working there at one time. They traveled in a bus or van together and often worked from 6am to 9pm. They made Trump’s golf course into one of the top ten in the United States.
