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Ellis Island: A New Gateway to the United States
When they arrived by ship at Ellis Island, steerage-class immigrants - those of limited economic means - had numbered tags pinned to their clothes which indicated the "manifest page" - a register - and line number on which their names appeared. These numbers were later used by immigration inspectors to cross- reference immigrants while they were being scrutinized. The process could be grueling. Inspectors screened for a range of "undesirables", including specific ethnic communities, polygamists, people with prison records for crimes involving "moral turpitude," and all "persons suffering from a loathsome or contagious diseases", old age or other infirmities. Unescorted women and children were detained until their safety was assured through the arrival of a telegram, letter, or a prepaid ticket from a waiting relative. Furthermore, immigration officials refused to send single women into the streets alone, nor could they leave with a man not related to them. According to Ellis Island historians, only around two or three percent of all immigrants were refused entry.
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As
a results of increased immigration and changing federal laws,
Ellis Island - the Immigration Station for the Port of New York
- officially opened on January 1, 1892 to inspect, process and
register new settlers. Originally called Gull Island, it was acquired
by New York State in 1808 and later turned over to the federal
government.
