It wasn't until the media started asking questions that the White House's introduction of a law curtailing legal immigration got contentious. During the daily press briefing, CNN's Jim Acosta, himself a son of Cuban immigrants, challenged senior adviser Stephen Miller on a component of the proposed bill which would grant English-speakers more favor in gaining admission to the United States.

"Aren't you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you're telling them you have to speak English?" Acosta asked. "Can't people learn how to speak English when they get here?"

The answer is, of course, that they can. As President Trump's grandfather did. As Stephen Miller's great-grandparents did. And as a member of Trump's own Cabinet did.

The policy, the Raise Act, would introduce a point-based system for new applicants to enter the U.S. In addition to speaking English, points would be awarded based on these other answers that Miller mentioned: "Can they support themselves and their families financially? Do they have a skill that will add to the U.S. economy? Are they being paid a high wage?

Donald Trump encourages law enforcement officials to not be too nice when arresting suspects

Were that policy in place in 1885, Friedrich Trumpf would likely not have gained entry to the United States. The immigration record for his arrival that year indicates that he arrived without an identifiable "calling": The word "none" sits next to his name in that column.

A biographer of Trumpf - father of Fred Trump, who was the father of the president - told Deutsche Welle that Donald Trump's grandfather didn't speak English when he got here.

"He came to New York," Gwenda Blair said, "and, after he learnt English, he went to the West Coast, ran restaurants, amassed a nest egg, then went back to Kallstadt, married the girl next door and brought her to New York." It was on the West Coast that Trumpf (now just Trump) became a citizen and registered to vote in the 1892 election.

But: No skills, no English. Would he have gotten in?

Donald Trump's mother, Mary McLoed, would have had more luck. An immigrant from Scotland, she is listed on Census documents as speaking English, though a Politico profile of her from last year notes that "she spoke almost exclusively in Scots Gaelic before leaving for a new life in the United States at age 18."

Were Friedrich Trumpf barred entry, there might not be a President Trump. But if this law had been in effect a century ago, there also may not have been a senior adviser Stephen Miller.

Reporter Jennifer Mendelsohn tracked down Miller's genealogy. She discovered that Miller's father's father's mother - his great-grandmother, Sarah Miller - was identified in the 1910 Census as speaking only Yiddish.

What's more, the Los Angeles Times obituary for Miller's grandmother Freya makes special mention of how her parents, Nathan and Frannie Baker, "epitomized the American Dream."

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

"Teaching each other English, working together to build a nest egg, the two immigrants eventually bought a small grocery store," it reads. "The Baker Family lived upstairs and all the family worked in the store. Freya, and her two brothers, were educated in the superb public school system."

Other senior Trump officials have family trees that suggest ancestors who may have been barred entry at Ellis Island.

Kellyanne Conway's great-grandfather was named Pasquale Lombardo, and was born in Naples, Italy. A man of that name and the proper age is identified in the 1910 Census as living in Pennsylvania and working as a blast furnace laborer who spoke only Italian.

Stephen K. Bannon's great-great-grandfather was a man named Mattias Herr, who was born in Bavaria in 1836 before moving to Maryland. It's not clear whether he spoke English or knew a skilled trade.

Mike Pence - like most Americans - is also the grandchild of an immigrant. His mother's father, Richard Michael Crawley, immigrated from Ireland to work as a bus driver. He did speak English, though, and likely would have cleared admission under the Raise Act.

As mentioned above, though, at least one member of Trump's Cabinet didn't. Elaine Chao, Trump's secretary of transportation (and wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), was born in Taiwan and came to the United States in 1961, when she was 8.

She described that transition in a CNN interview last month.

"I remember how tough it was to try to learn a new culture, a new language and just to adapt to, like, ordinary daily stuff like the food. Like, most Chinese don't eat meat between breads," she said. As she tried to learn the language, "the kids were mean to me," she said.

Her father, who spoke English, was already in the U.S. when Chao and her mother and sisters arrived, working in the maritime industry. Would that have been enough to warrant admission? To bring over his family?

This, it seems, was Acosta's point: Doesn't two centuries of experience show that people who arrive in America without the ability to speak English or a highly skilled trade can have a significant impact on the future of the country?