By Laila Kearney and Sebastien Melo

NEW YORK, July 12 (Reuters) - From the nearest bus stop, workers navigate about a mile of overgrown and cracked sidewalk before they reach Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, with its pristine fairways, treacherous bunkers and expansive views of the jagged Manhattan skyline.

As dozens of golfers, mostly white males in khaki pants and polo shirts, hit balls across the course, the work crew arrives. Workers wash golf carts and cut lawns. They keep the clubhouse clean and secure.

Like Andris Garcia, a 22-year-old security guard at the course, many are Latinos, immigrants or descendants of immigrants. They work for Donald Trump while at the same time being offended by the Republican presidential candidate's comments on immigration.

"It's messed up what he said about Mexicans because they came over here to do a decent job, just like everybody else," said Garcia, who is of Dominican descent. "Just because they're Mexican, it doesn't mean that they came over here to sell drugs or kill people."

Since announcing his bid for the Republican nomination last month, Trump has faced the fury of Latinos and the cancellation of major business deals after he accused Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals to the United States.

Immigrant activists have staged protests against Trump in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Companies including Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal and retailer Macy's Inc. have severed ties with him. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it would rename navigational waypoints named after Trump.

Trump's comments have proven both perplexing and painful for Latinos employed by his businesses, which stretch from resorts to beauty pageants to golf courses, including Ferry Point.

"I'm not a killer, I'm not a drug dealer," said a 17-year-old Ferry Point greeter from a Puerto Rican and Dominican background, who asked not to be named. "I'm a student about to go to college and have a successful career."

The employee said some of his Latino co-workers, Mexican immigrants in particular, were upset by Trump's comments but would not consider quitting their jobs because of them. "We're hard workers," he said. "We work to prove that we're not what they claim us to be."

Ron Lieberman, Executive Vice President of Management and Development at The Trump Organization, said Ferry Point employees appear happy and have not complained about Trump's remarks, which were intended to be about boarder control and not culture.

"If there are negative statements being made, then they're probably not getting all the facts," Leiberman said.