The Detained Immigrant at Ellis Island - 1893

Introduction

The article "The Detained Immigrant," published in 1893, provides a poignant account of the experiences of immigrants detained at Ellis Island. It discusses the reasons for detention, the conditions in which immigrants were held, and the emotional and psychological impact of detention on those seeking a new life in America.

Detained Immigrants on Ellis Island, New York Harbor. Drawn by M. Colin. Harper's Weekly, 26 August 1893. GGA Image ID # 1480e2094e

Our land's hospitality is freely given to all who deserve it. Still, Uncle Sam has drawn wisdom from experience and, in these latter days, has come to demand at least a show of evidence that it will be rightly employed.

Our doors still swing wide open for the saloon passenger. He may come and go freely, save for the inquisitive custom-house examiner and the boisterous and importunate dock cabman. But the voyager in the steerage finds his course strewn with obstacles.

For him, the New World speedily becomes a mighty interrogation point. Failure to answer any of a score of questions correctly asked him perhaps half a score of times and by many different men, failure even to allay suspicion by his manner. However, his words are satisfactory, which may cause him a vexatious delay or the shame and bitterness of a wrecked ambition.

His trials presumedly begin when he seeks to buy his passage ticket, for these days, the steamship companies are made responsible for the people they bring to us. They may be subjected to a fine of $20 for each unwelcome visitor, along with the necessity of taking him home again.

No sooner does the immigrant get on board the ship than he is passed in procession before a physician, and if he looks ill, he is put ashore. During the voyage, he is put through his catechism once more.

Nineteen questions are asked him concerning his nationality, age, health, trade, resources, and prospects in the New World, and these answers must be sworn to.

Then, he is taught the proper method of conducting himself before the examining officer in New York. A tag is given to him to be worn conspicuously upon that occasion to indicate clearly upon what particular sheet his answers are recorded.

Now, it is approaching the crucial hour for immigrants. The steamer has safely passed the scrutiny of quarantine, though perhaps it had waited there with its impatient multitude from sundown until after the Health Officer's breakfast the following day.

The customs inspectors have ceased rummaging among the baggage. The immigrants landed at Ellis Island, decorated with their tags, and divided into corresponding groups. They await the summons to the inquisition room above.

It is a strange, stirring, and instructive spectacle that is thus presented almost every day in the year upon the great, airy second floor of the Ellis Island building.

The place is singularly suggestive of a prison in many of its aspects. Uniformed guards are everywhere—in all the passageways and at every door—to restrain the inquisitive roamer.

Here and there in the upper part of the great room are curious little iron cages, tenantless now but later occupied by busy railroad agents and moneychangers.

On either side are other great cages, one with a motley crowd of immigrants, eating, walking, sleeping, sitting listlessly with folded hands, or soothing their children's fretfulness; these are awaiting remittances or friends to take them on their journey or else are suspects to be more closely inquired into by-and-by.

The smaller company opposite are no more miserable in appearance, though more wretched in their state. They are then rejected, to be sent home again on the next sailing of the steamer which brought them. Guards stand before their close-locked door; no one may approach them.

The lock slips back viciously to give egress to two of them closely attended. But presently, the door shuts upon them again with a heavy clang as they return with great tubs of greasy, sickening stew for their companions' dinner.

Only the presence of counters here and there piled high with bread and bottles for those who care to buy disturbs the prisonlike aspect of the place. A curious set of low iron fences formed narrow lanes lengthwise through the lower half of the room.

Presently, there is a stir. A waiting figure stands before the little desk at the end of each lane; every booth is tenanted; interpreters mass themselves, and there is the distant clatter of many feet as the immigrants crowd open-mouthed and bewildered through the further doorway.

For a moment, all is confusion; the carefully ticketed groups are broken, as friends find themselves separated, or parents see their little ones stupidly assigned to another batch. At length, they come down their proper lanes in single file, their queer baggage bumping against the rails and playing havoc with those in the rear.

They have a slight notion of what is to follow. Some look frightened when halted at the desks, some angry, and some impassive, with the indifference of stupidity. Many are nervously defiant; now and again, a woman's laugh sounds perilously akin to hysteria.

If their answers agree with those recorded on the shipboard, they are passed on. If there is any discrepancy or dubious manner, the suspect is pounced upon by waiting officials, questioned closely, and either sent on his way or pushed into the cage to await final investigation by the established board below.

But having passed the desks, the immigrant's worries are not over. The contract labor inspector is there to halt those who look suspicious to him, and just now, the bulk of the immigrants returned are of that class. Other agents stop and jostle them at every point to learn their destinations, with well-meaning if irritating zeal to set them right and save them from the hovering swarm of sharpers on shore.

It is an odd spectacle, and, singularly enough, its pathos is not always to be sought in the cage of the rejected. The tear-swollen face of a young woman vainly fleeing from her shame may now and again be seen there.

But for the most part, its occupants are sturdy laborers, well-dressed mechanics, and their children. There is often much more pitiful in the shrinking shyness of maidenhood, the hopeful eagerness of young manhood, the sad-eyed melancholy of old age, or the filth and ignorance that pass beyond these desks to liberty. It is a mighty stream that courses through this narrow channel.

Fifty thousand souls walked in a single file here last month. The population of a considerable city, with its hopes and fears, loves, hates, and sorrows, is halted here each year. The wonder is not that misery is lighted upon but that it is so little seen and that the air is so far redolent of health and vitality, youthful physical beauty and sturdy maturity, mental alertness, and moral purpose.

"The Detained Immigrant," in Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization, Vol. XXXVII, No. 1914, New York: Harper & Brothers, Saturday, 26 August 1893, pp. 821-822.

Conclusion

Detention at Ellis Island was a harrowing experience for many immigrants, filled with uncertainty and fear. The article highlights the often-overlooked struggles of these individuals, emphasizing the need for humane treatment and better conditions for those caught in the limbo of immigration detention.

Key Points

• 🚪 Reasons for Detention: Immigrants were detained for various reasons, including health concerns, legal issues, and incomplete documentation.
• 🏠 Living Conditions: The article describes the often cramped and uncomfortable living conditions in the detention facilities.
• 😟 Emotional Impact: Detention led to significant emotional distress, with immigrants facing fear, anxiety, and uncertainty about their future.
• 🛡️ Health Concerns: Health inspections were a primary reason for detention, with those suspected of illness being held for further evaluation.
• 📋 Legal Scrutiny: Legal ambiguities and the lack of proper documentation often resulted in prolonged detention.
• 🤝 Support and Advocacy: Some organizations and individuals worked to advocate for the rights and better treatment of detained immigrants.
• 🌍 Diverse Backgrounds: The detained immigrants came from a wide range of countries and backgrounds, reflecting the global nature of immigration.
• 🧳 Separation from Family: Detention often resulted in the painful separation of families, compounding the emotional toll.
• 🎓 Lack of Resources: Many detained immigrants lacked the resources or knowledge to effectively advocate for themselves.
• 📜 Historical Context: The article places the issue of detention within the broader context of U.S. immigration policy during the late 19th century.

Summary

1. Overview of Detention at Ellis Island: The article provides an account of why and how immigrants were detained at Ellis Island in 1893.
2. Conditions of Detention: It describes the harsh and often overcrowded conditions in which detained immigrants were held.
3. Emotional and Psychological Effects: The article explores the significant emotional toll that detention took on immigrants, many of whom faced uncertainty and fear about their future.
4. Health and Legal Issues: Detention was often the result of health inspections or legal uncertainties, with immigrants held until their issues could be resolved.
5. Support Efforts: Some organizations and individuals made efforts to support detained immigrants and advocate for better conditions.
6. Diverse Immigrant Experiences: The article highlights the diverse backgrounds of the detained immigrants, underscoring the wide-ranging impact of U.S. immigration policies.
7. Family Separation: The painful reality of family separation is discussed as one of the most distressing aspects of detention.
8. Resource Scarcity: The article touches on the challenges faced by detained immigrants in advocating for themselves due to a lack of resources and knowledge.
9. Historical Perspective: The account places the experience of detained immigrants within the broader context of the immigration policies of the late 19th century.
10. Call for Humane Treatment: The article implicitly calls for more humane treatment and better conditions for detained immigrants.