Immigration to Ellis Island
People from across the globe are seeing America as the land of opportunity. It is a place for residents of foreign countries to seek a new beginning, and to start a better life as individuals or as families. The process of coming to the United States is not as simple as it is to pass from one state to the next. After a decision has been made to immigrate to America, the efforts of getting in are a process all in its own. There are three main areas of screening and entrance for immigrants to go through: Ellis Island, Angel Island, and El Paso. Each station has its own set of immigrants from different parts of the world. Just as different immigrants are treated differently, each station has its own characteristics and systems. Upon arrival into America, immigrants are required to go through a process of screening tests. These tests are given to weed out undesirables and regulate the income stream. People that are not allowed in include those with infectious disease, paupers, and persons likely to become public charges, criminals, prostitutes, mentally deficient, and the disabled. While entering America, immigrants have different experiences depending if they enter Ellis Island, Angel Island, or El Paso, and while each station has it
s advantages and disadvantages, the screening tests given to these immigrants are not always effective or fair. It is quite apparent to me that the Chinese are much more discriminated against at Angel Island than any other group. Their rights are much less than any other immigrant. The process of entering through here is much more harsh, perhaps a little to harsh. The extent of questioning that these immigrants are subjected to is almost ridiculous. It is understandable that verification of family members is evident in order to be efficient, but the humiliation that some of these immigrants are faced with is unbearable. The conditions here are also very dirty and inhumane. Some of these immigrants are trapped on this island for months during questioning. The screening process here is much longer and extremely intense. It might be better if this port were to structure itself more like Ellis Island. Less intense questioning would be a better system, I believe. Once medical tests are complete immigrants are subject to legal inspections. This includes a series of rapidly asked questions including purpose in coming, occupation, how much money you have, destination, name, birthday, if married or single, birthplace, and other basic questions. If inspections are not passed some immigrants may go to the Boards of Special Inquiry. This is for suspected contract labors, or people with public charges. If both inspections are passed then immigrants are free to go on their way. Most immigrants make it through Ellis Island successfully, and are headed to their new life in America. Once at Ellis Island, steerage undergo medical and legal inspections. Each passenger goes through a number of tests to make sure that all vital signs point toward good health. During medical inspections, inspectors are looking for signs of disease and deformity. Immigrants are watched for lameness, deformities in posture, difficulty breathing, mental abnormalities, scalp disease, and eye disease. Trachoma is one of the most feared problems that is looked for. This eye disease can cause blindness and even death. After inspection each individual is marked with a “passed” stamp, or marked with chalk according to the segment of the exam they had failed. If an individual does fail they are examined more closely in gender specific rooms to decide if entry is acceptable or if deportation is necessary. Questioning is done individually and apart from family members. It begins with simple questions like name, age, occupation, destination, income and other basic subjects. After this, questioning becomes much more intense and personal. Each Chinese immigrant is asked about the very minute details of his or her family, life moments, and the village they live in. An immigrant may be question
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Approximate Word count = 1870
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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