Below is a letter written in 1905 by President Trump’s grandfather, Friedrich Trump, in which he pleads with Bavarian Prince Luitpold not to deport him. According to the Associated Press, Trump’s grandfather immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager from Bavaria before he completed his required military service. After he acquired his fortune in the U.S., he tried to resettle in what is now southwest Germany but was expelled and returned to America. Friedrich Trump’s plea to the government of Bavaria was unsuccessful.
Some news outlets have suggested that Friedrich’s arguments appear similar to contemporary ones raised by those who fear deportation under President Trump’s orders or oppose his immigration policies. Below is the letter in its entirety, as translated by Harper’s Magazine:
“Most Serene, Most Powerful Prince Regent! Most Gracious Regent and Lord!
I was born in Kallstadt on March 14, 1869. My parents were honest, plain, pious vineyard workers. They strictly held me to everything good — to diligence and piety, to regular attendance in school and church, to absolute obedience toward the high authority.
“After my confirmation, in 1882, I apprenticed to become a barber. I emigrated in 1885, in my sixteenth year. In America I carried on my business with diligence, discretion, and prudence. God’s blessing was with me, and I became rich. I obtained American citizenship in 1892. In 1902 I met my current wife. Sadly, she could not tolerate the climate in New York, and I went with my dear family back to Kallstadt.
The town was glad to have received a capable and productive citizen. My old mother was happy to see her son, her dear daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter around her; she knows now that I will take care of her in her old age.
But we were confronted all at once, as if by a lightning strike from fair skies, with the news that the High Royal State Ministry had decided that we must leave our residence in the Kingdom of Bavaria. We were paralyzed with fright; our happy family life was tarnished. My wife has been overcome by anxiety, and my lovely child has become sick.
Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family. What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree — not to mention the great material losses it would incur. I would like to become a Bavarian citizen again.
In this urgent situation I have no other recourse than to turn to our adored, noble, wise, and just sovereign lord, our exalted ruler His Royal Highness, highest of all, who has already dried so many tears, who has ruled so beneficially and justly and wisely and softly and is warmly and deeply loved, with the most humble request that the highest of all will himself in mercy deign to allow the applicant to stay in the most gracious Kingdom of Bavaria. Your most humble and obedient,
Friedrich Trump
According to researchers, Friedrich made a fortune in the drinking and gambling dens of the Wild West. If gossip is to be believed he made even more money from dubious activities best not described on a respectable blog. This, or the fact that he skipped the country before he had completed military service, may be why the Bavarians wanted to deport him.
Its a touching letter. I would argue the Bavarians had no right to deport him because he was born there, and so had a right to return to his home country, even if he made his money by illicit means (not unlike a certain descendant of his.)
But I’d be wary of using the letter as a stick to beat Trump with. The President doesn’t seem particularly interested in reducing legal immigration, except for perhaps those from the Muslim world. The controversy surrounding Trump’s immigration policies concerns his attitudes towards illegal immigration. The problem with any mass deportation programme is that it will result in severe labour shortages, particularly in agriculture. It would also be wrong to deport people who have been in the country a long time, have roots in the community, have children who are US-born citizens, or who stand a high chance of having their human rights abused when they go back to their home country.
Unlike Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, I don’t believe that all illegals who haven’t committed a crime (other than being an illegal immigrant) should be allowed to stay. But I agree with Republicans like John McCain and Marco Rubio, that there should be some sort of pathway to citizenship for those already here, provided there is proper border enforcement to deter future illegal immigration. I also believe Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions are wrong to desire a considerable reduction in legal immigration. Most immigrants to America are very successful; Indians, Nigerians, Jews and Chinese all make more money and are better educated than your average American. I also doubt these immigrants will dramatically transform American culture. The US is brilliant at assimilation, far more so than any country in Europe. There’s no immigrant takeover to be fearful of, only a peaceful exchange of ideas, traditions and money that will make us all better off.