Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” cap factory is 80% Latino

*I can’t help but laugh at the irony. The Latinos who work at the Cali-Fame factory don’t seem to mind the client or the message – they’re working overtime, and work is work they say. VL


 

los_angeles_times_logoBy Christine Mai-Duc The Los Angeles Times

Donald Trump’s hats have quickly become a signature totem of the 2016 campaign, a kitsch magnet that serves ironic hipsters and sincere supporters alike. The red-and-white caps are emblazoned with the real estate mogul’s oft-repeated slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

But look around the factory floor where these hats are being made by the thousands, and you’ll find faces that don’t seem to fit into Trump’s America.

Yolanda Melendrez is one of them. Melendrez, an immigrant from Mexico who was brought to the United States by her parents when she was a baby, has worked at the Carson-based Cali-Fame headwear company since 1991.

“When we first got the order [for the Trump hats], I said to myself, ‘Just wait until he sees who’s making his hats. We’re Latinos, we’re Mexicans, Salvadoreños.’”

The company employs about 100 people in a 30,000-square-foot warehouse. About 80% of the company’s workforce is Latino, Kennedy estimates. He says that every worker has his or her immigration status verified.

The “Make America Great Again” hats have been a boon to Kennedy’s business, which pulled in more than $270,000 from the Trump campaign last quarter, according to campaign finance records.

Click HERE to read the full story.


[Photo by Luis Sinco, courtesy of The Los Angeles Times]

 

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