Urgent Reforms Needed: A 1921 Report on Immigration Conditions at Ellis Island

📌 This 1921 report calls for urgent reforms to improve the immigration process at Ellis Island, highlighting inefficiencies, inadequate facilities, and the human hardships faced by immigrants. A valuable resource for historians, genealogists, and students studying U.S. immigration history.

Need for Reforms at Ellis Island Called Urgent (1921)

Relevance to Immigration Studies for Teachers, Students, Genealogists, Historians, and Others

This article, Need for Reforms at Ellis Island Called Urgent, is a critical resource for those studying the history of immigration to the United States, particularly historians, students, genealogists, and educators. Published in 1921, it sheds light on the crucial role of Ellis Island during the early 20th century and serves as a historical document of the immigration process, revealing the challenges faced by immigrants and the inefficiencies within the U.S. immigration system at the time. The article presents an urgent call for reform and illustrates the complexity of managing the increasing number of immigrants entering the United States during a period of significant societal and political change. 📚

Directors Approve Report Made by The Merchants' Association's Committee on Immigration and Naturalization After a Careful Investigation of Actual Conditions—Facilities for Handling Immigrants Are Found to Be Antiquated and Inadequate

The Merchants' Association, through its Industrial Bureau, under the direction of its Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, of which Mr. Henry D. Walbridge is Chairman, has carefully investigated the facilities for receiving immigrants at Ellis Island and the methods in use there.

Report to the Directors

This investigation disclosed particulars in which the service requires improvement. These are shown in a report submitted to the Directors of The Association by the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization and unanimously approved as follows:

"The general report of this Committee on the subject of immigration adopted by your Board on November 19, 1920, contained a recommendation concerning improving and enlarging facilities for handling immigrants at Ellis Island and the necessity for Congressional appropriations for this purpose.

This Association and other organizations have brought this matter to the attention of Congress. Still, no such appropriations have been made yet. Although immigration has not reached pre-war proportions, congestion at Ellis Island has been more acute than ever.

Ships have been made to wait in the Harbor from 3 to 5 days before unloading their Ellis Island passengers. This has been a significant hardship for the immigrants and caused financial loss to the steamship companies. Moreover, the Station has been so crowded that frequently, aliens detained at Ellis Island have had to sleep on the floor.

Of Vital Importance

Your Committee believes that proper administration of the immigration service at the Port of New York is of such vital importance to the welfare and safety of this City and the country as a whole that it has undertaken through The Association's Industrial Bureau a further and more exhaustive inquiry concerning this matter, based on which it submits for your consideration the following facts and recommendations.

Although it is not possible to include in the limited scope of this report all of the supporting data to the Committee's conclusions, these conclusions, your Committee believes, are amply warranted by the findings of the investigation.

A considerable part of the congestion at Ellis Island is due to the arrival of large numbers of immigrants who are practically without funds and are held on the Island until their relatives or friends in America can send or bring them money. Under the laws and regulations governing immigration, destitute aliens can be deported.

Photo of Gypsies from Servia at Ellis Island. National Geographic Magazine, May 1907. GGA Image ID # 21e4c7499b

The Immigration Service can practically compel steamship companies to stop bringing such aliens through the exercise of this power, as the companies must bear the expense of returning all such deported aliens to Europe. Commissioner William Wil Hams's exercise of this power in 1909 was immediately effective in stopping the flow of destitute immigrants and is an ample precedent for similar action today.

Although the first effect of such action would be to bring hardship upon the few deported, far larger numbers would benefit from the increased service efficiency and the elimination of trying delays.

Information Service Inadequate

Another cause for congestion at Ellis Island is the inadequacy of the information service. Delays and confusion constantly result from the difficulty of communication between arriving aliens and friends or relatives who have come to assist them to their destination points. The information service staff, telephone facilities, and other equipment on Ellis Island and at the Barge Office in Manhattan are inadequate to permit efficient operation.

Efficient administration at Ellis Island is further impaired because of the general lack of adequate staff. Although the total number of employees is larger than before the war, the work required of the staff has significantly increased. The administration of the immigration law of 1917, which is now in force, is much more complex and requires more time than the administration of the law previously in force. Moreover, the physical character of aliens now arriving and the prevalence of plagues in the countries they come to require a more careful and adequate medical examination.

Staff Efficiency Low

The efficiency of the staff itself is also low. Many recently employed hold only temporary appointments, sometimes for not more than three months. Nearly all the employees are underpaid. The immigration inspectors who occupy positions of considerable importance receive, on average, less than $1,800 per year. With the exception of the doctors, however, they are the highest-paid class of employees in the service.

The lack of adequate buildings and equipment also hampers the proper administration of the immigration service. Bathing and toilet facilities are not ample, and there are no fumigating facilities on Ellis Island. There is a need for a new and larger water main to supply the Island with fresh water. More adequate kitchen facilities are needed for the Ellis Island hospitals.

Also, the equipment at the Hoffman's Island quarantine station is insufficient to protect the country from typhus fever and other plagues now prevalent in Europe. Nearly all the buildings and equipment have unduly deteriorated because of a lack of attention to repair and maintenance.

Need for Reform

Other evidences of needed improvement in the immigration service are as follows:

A surprisingly large number of defective aliens are being admitted to the United States for limited periods on bond. Not infrequently, these aliens are lost track of after they are admitted, or their terms are extended in a way that constitutes almost unqualified admission.

There is evidence that considerable bribery is engaged at Ellis Island to secure special favors or expedite handling individual cases.

Steamship companies are lax in their medical examinations at foreign ports and admit diseased and otherwise undesirable aliens for passage. The many Deficiencies at Ellis Island place an extra burden upon the Immigration officials here and increase the liability that undesirables will be admitted into this country.

Many immigrants infested with vermin liable to spread typhus fever are admitted into the United States because j the quarantine officers are authorized to bar only persons who they have reason to believe are infected with typhus fever.

Proper Facilities Lacking

Aliens traveling as second-class passengers are examined on shipboard. The lack of proper facilities and the varying conditions on different vessels make this examination inadequate, especially given the lower physical character of aliens now traveling "second-class."

There is a wide division of responsibility in the administration of immigration laws, with the work being divided between four separate Departments of the Government: the Department of Labor, the Department of State, the Treasury Department, and the Department of Justice. This obviously leads to conflicting policies and inefficiency.

Photo of Exlcuded Gypsies About To Be Deported. National Geographic Magazine, May 1907. GGA Image ID # 21e4ebd7e6

To remedy these conditions, your Committee recommends that The Merchants' Association take suitable action to make effective the following proposals:

1. Steamship companies should be compelled to stop bringing destitute aliens to the United States.
2. The information service facilities at Ellis Island should be improved and enlarged.
3. If immigration continues at the present rate, a larger staff should be provided, including more clerks, typists, stenographers, and especially doctors.
4. Adequate bathing and fumigating facilities should be installed at Ellis Island, and the entire plant should be Improved and enlarged.
5. Ample funds should be provided for the regular repair and maintenance of the plant.
6. The quarantine station at the Port of New York should be enlarged, and better facilities should be provided for fighting typhus fever and other epidemic diseases.
7. The quarantine regulations should be amended to ensure that no vermin-infested passengers are admitted to this country.
8. Every European port of embarkation should be equipped with adequate detention, delousing, and disinfecting plants, such as those currently operated at Rotterdam, Hamburg, and a few other foreign ports.
9. Aliens traveling as second-class passengers should be examined at Ellis Island rather than on shipboard.
10. A thorough study of employees' salaries at Ellis Island should be undertaken to make such readjustments as necessary.
11. Not only should greater care be exercised in admitting immigrants under bond, but ample provision should be made to enable government officials to keep in close touch with all aliens admitted during their residency in this country.
12. The administration of immigration matters should be centralized in a National Immigration Commission, organized along the same general lines as the Federal Reserve Board and the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Source: Greater New York: Bulletin of the Merchants’ Association of New York, Volume 10, No. 20, New York, May 16, 1921 P.6-7

Key Highlights and Engaging Content

Critical Issues with Facilities and Staffing

The article emphasizes the antiquated and inadequate facilities at Ellis Island, which had become overcrowded by 1921. Immigrants were often forced to sleep on the floor, and there was a significant lack of proper medical and sanitary equipment.

These challenges in immigration handling directly impacted the human experience at Ellis Island, making it a vital piece of immigration history. For students studying the development of the U.S. immigration system, this information offers valuable insights into the conditions of immigrants during that era. 🛑🏚️

Inadequacies in the Immigration Process

The article reports that the immigration process was extremely slow, with ships waiting for up to five days to unload passengers, causing financial losses to steamship companies. Destitute immigrants were held at Ellis Island until funds arrived from their relatives, which exacerbated congestion.

These operational inefficiencies are important for genealogists and historians who may be researching the experiences of immigrants during this time. The human aspect, including the hardships faced by women and children, makes the article an emotionally charged look at how bureaucratic inefficiencies affected families. 💼🚢

Recommendations for Reform

The article provides a comprehensive set of recommendations for reform, ranging from improvements to the information service at Ellis Island, the expansion of staff, and the installation of fumigation and medical facilities to better manage the flow of immigrants and protect against diseases like typhus.

These suggestions are not only relevant to historians examining immigration reform but also provide insights into the long-standing struggles to modernize U.S. immigration infrastructure. For teachers, this context offers a detailed snapshot of the efforts to reform Ellis Island and its facilities. 🔧🩺

📸 Noteworthy Images

🖼 Gypsies from Servia at Ellis Island (National Geographic, May 1907): This image adds a personal dimension to the article, showing the real people impacted by the policies and conditions at Ellis Island. It vividly represents the human cost of the congestion and delays experienced by immigrants during this period. 📷👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

🖼 Excluded Gypsies About to Be Deported (National Geographic, May 1907): Another compelling image showing the struggles of deportation and the harsh reality for immigrants deemed undesirable. This powerful visual complements the text's focus on the need for reform in handling those who were excluded due to disease or lack of financial means. 🚫

Deportation and Financial Impacts on Immigrants

The report highlights that deportation could be enacted for those who arrived without funds, a policy that led to many being sent back to Europe.

The focus on financial hardships is important for genealogists, as understanding these barriers helps explain the complex factors influencing immigration decisions and family reunifications. 📉💸

Educational and Historical Insights

📌 The Immigration Process and Public Health: The report sheds light on how public health concerns—especially the threat of diseases like typhus—shaped the policies at Ellis Island.

For students and historians, this underscores the intersection of health and immigration policies, providing important context for understanding how the U.S. managed public health crises related to immigration.

📌 Bureaucratic Inefficiency: The article discusses the bureaucratic inefficiencies that created delays and hardships for immigrants. This highlights the role of government agencies in shaping the immigrant experience and is a valuable lesson for those studying U.S. governance and immigration policy.

📌 Humanizing Immigration History: The descriptions of the human experiences at Ellis Island—especially for families separated by delays—offer a poignant reminder of the personal sacrifices involved.

Genealogists may find these accounts useful in understanding the emotional toll that the process took on immigrants, adding depth to family histories.

Final Thoughts

Need for Reforms at Ellis Island Called Urgent (1921) is an insightful and compelling historical document that highlights the immigration challenges of the early 20th century. For historians and genealogists, this article serves as an important piece of primary source material that brings to light the inefficiencies and hardships that immigrants faced.

Its detailed account of recommendations for reform is invaluable for understanding the complexities of early immigration policy and the importance of improving systems to accommodate the growing influx of immigrants.