Fact check: Did any member of the Trump family or his wives enter the United States illegaly

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, there is limited evidence suggesting any Trump family member or his wives entered the United States illegally:

Friedrich Trump (Donald's grandfather):

• Left Bavaria "illegally" after dodging compulsory German military service, which might have been considered illegal at the time ^{[1] [2]}
• However, America did not enforce laws against German immigrants who had dodged military service strictly during that period ^[1]
• This represents a case where the departure from Germany was potentially illegal, but the entry to the United States was not necessarily prohibited under U.S. law

Trump's wives:

• No evidence of illegal entry was found for any of Trump's wives ^[3]
• Ivana Trump had strong legal standing to obtain permanent residency ^[3]
• Melania Trump already possessed a green card ^[3]
• While there was a petition to deport Melania Trump and her family, this was based on criticism of Trump's immigration policies rather than evidence of illegal entry ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several important contextual elements:

• Historical immigration standards: Immigration laws and enforcement in the late 1800s when Friedrich Trump immigrated were significantly different from modern standards ^[1]
• Distinction between departure and entry legality: Friedrich Trump's situation involved potentially illegal departure from Germany due to military service evasion, but this didn't necessarily make his U.S. entry illegal under American law ^[1]
• Political motivations: Calls for investigating or deporting Trump family members appear to be politically motivated responses to Trump's own immigration policies rather than based on substantive evidence of wrongdoing ^[4]
• Broader family immigration history: The Trump family has a documented immigrant background, with Donald's mother Mary MacLeod Trump being a Scottish immigrant, but no illegal entry is suggested for her ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral and factual in its phrasing, seeking specific information about potential illegal entry. However, the question may be influenced by:

• Contemporary political discourse where Trump family immigration history is scrutinized as a counterpoint to strict immigration policies
• Conflation of different types of immigration violations - the question doesn't distinguish between various forms of illegal entry or immigration status violations
• Lack of temporal context - the question doesn't account for how immigration laws and enforcement have evolved over more than a century of Trump family presence in America

The analyses suggest that while there may be questions about Friedrich Trump's departure from Germany, there is no substantial evidence of illegal entry to the United States by Trump family members or his wives under the immigration laws applicable at their respective times of entry.