Return Immigration - 1903

Italian Family Looking For Lost Luggage at Ellis Island, 1905. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs: Photography Collection. New York Public Library. NYPL # 79878. GGA Image ID # 14e47f27fb

From an unofficial but believed to be entirely reliable source, figures have been secured by charities showing that during the calendar year 1903, European emigration from the Atlantic ports of the United States was twenty-eight or thirty percent of the immigration for the same term.

The figures show 890,400 westbound steerage passengers and 251,500 eastbound, leaving a net immigration from Europe of 638,900 persons.

It has been known that the "return immigration" in 1903 was very heavy. Still, anything like an exact statement has not been made before.

The new Department of Commerce and Labor is only just beginning to collect statistics regarding outgoing steerage passengers. It depends for its figures upon reports from the steamship companies. The figures given were taken from these reports.

They do not include several of the smaller lines, but it is stated upon acceptable authority that the total number of steerage passengers carried by these lines is so unimportant that it will not materially change the proportions of the result.

Officers of steamship companies and organizations that deal with newly landed immigrants make interesting comments on the figures. The transportation men are inclined to look upon the twenty-eight percent of returning aliens as an indication of expected results from pretty widespread efforts to increase eastbound steerage business.

Bankers, tradesmen, and other men in small business enterprises dealing directly with foreign residents have been appointed special agents of the steamship companies to increase the number of third-rate passengers going to Europe.

It is pointed out that the companies' concern is to earn money, and it is of the utmost importance that their ships return as well-loaded as possible.

Passage from New York to European ports is from six to eight or ten dollars less than for the reverse trip, and there has recently been a marked reduction to stimulate the usually slack midwinter business.

Men who are connected with societies that guard immigrants upon their arrival held that the heavy return figures indicate, perhaps, more than anything else, a time of prosperity for the male immigrant. This view is especially emphasized by those dealing with Italians.

Slavic Woman and Italian Husband. Photo Courtesy of The Survey. The Old World and the New, 1914. GGA Image ID # 14dbd4d394

Immigrants, when faced with adversity, endure for a period, then return home, causing a dip in immigration. Conversely, during times of prosperity, they labor diligently, saving their earnings to return to Italy, often with their families. This cyclical pattern of immigration is a fascinating aspect of the study of immigration trends.

When the figures in both directions are large, these men hold, and good times must be deduced. A large number who are prosperous also go to Italy merely to spend the winter, for aliens from southern Europe dread the cold weather.

The large proportion of round-trip tickets sold to third-class passengers supports the statement that this evasion of cold weather is a common practice.

Italy and Germany attract a large proportion of immigration. In the latter country, holiday customs and traditions involve family reunions. In the former, immigrants who may be out of work for a large part of the winter can live more cheaply at home and enjoy the honors accorded to those who have been in America.

According to an officer of the Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants, a significant forty percent of Italian men who arrived in New York in 1903 had previously been in the country. This organization's insights are invaluable in understanding the immigration patterns.

That the returns of the steamship lines showed only twenty-eight percent, he believed to be primarily due to the number of Russian Jews who dare not return to their native places and to the thrift of the Italians who more frequently save money for such trips than men of other nationalities receiving the wages.

The most significant feature of the views of both steamship and immigration society men is the general agreement that the returning immigrants are of an economically efficient class.

Typical Headdress of Italian Immigrant Women, Passing Through Ellis Island. Photograph from Frederic C. Howe. The National Geographic Magazine, February 1917. GGA Image ID # 14ca62f9ad

The inefficient, referring to those who are unable to support themselves financially, are seldom able to pay the thirty dollars or more required for passage home. Just what proportion of these prosperous and self-supporting laborers come back again to America in the spring with the opening of the building season and the renewal of outdoor work on a large scale would be most interesting to know.

For now, the factors influencing the return rate can only be speculated. However, it is widely believed that the decision to return is largely influenced by the immigrants' perceptions of future economic conditions, either positive or negative.

The massive exodus of Italians from Pittsburg and other parts of Pennsylvania during the fall and winter has been caused by the part-time operation of mines and other industrial disturbances. They are generally believed to believe that next year will be one of less work for laborers.

At any rate, this is the talk of the Italian bankers and merchants. It is based on a prediction by the officers of the Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants, previously referred to, of a much lighter influx of southern people during the coming spring and summer.

On the other hand, the steamship companies say they are preparing for a record-breaking year from all European ports. Those who know intimately the conditions in Russia and other eastern European countries predict a high tide of Slavs. The lines most directly concerned immigration from Germany, the British Isles, and Scandinavian countries looking for a steadily maintained business, if not increasing.

Arthur P. Kellogg, "The Backwater of Immigration," in Charities: A Review of Local and General Philanthropy, New York: New York Charity Organization Society, Vol. XII, No. 6, 6 February 1904, pp. 127-128.

Why “Return Immigration (1903)” is Essential for Understanding Immigration History

For teachers, students, genealogists, and family historians, immigration is often viewed as a one-way journey to America. However, Return Immigration (1903) uncovers a lesser-known but equally vital aspect of migration: the cyclical movement of immigrants between their homeland and the United States.

This article is an invaluable resource that provides a nuanced perspective on immigration patterns, revealing that many immigrants, particularly Italians and Eastern Europeans, did not always remain in the U.S. permanently but instead traveled back and forth in response to economic opportunities, weather conditions, and family obligations.

Key insights from this article include:

• Return Rates Were Higher Than Expected – In 1903, nearly 30% of immigrants left the U.S. to return to Europe, illustrating that immigration was not always a permanent relocation, but often a strategic financial decision.
• Economic Cycles and Migration – During economic downturns, immigrants were more likely to return home, while prosperity encouraged them to stay, save, or even bring their families to America. This fluid migration pattern is crucial for understanding the historical economic impact of immigrants.
• Seasonal Migration Among Italians – Many Italian immigrants worked in America during warm months and returned home for the winter, when jobs were scarce, living off their earnings in Italy. This round-trip migration challenges the assumption that all immigrants intended to permanently settle in the U.S.
• Cultural and Social Influences on Return Migration – Traditions such as holiday reunions in Germany and the prestige of returning to Italy after working in America played an essential role in migration decisions.
• Economic Self-Sufficiency and Return Migration – Only financially stable immigrants could afford to return, indicating that the majority of returnees were economically successful. This contradicts the misconception that returning immigrants were failures or burdens.
• Impact on Immigration Trends – The return migration trend directly influenced who immigrated next. Some returnees would bring family members back with them, while others left, expecting better work opportunities in the future.

This article is an essential resource for understanding the complexity of immigration, demonstrating that many immigrants were not simply arriving in America to stay, but actively navigating a transatlantic life. For those researching ancestry, teaching immigration history, or exploring labor migration trends, this account offers rare, data-backed insights into return migration that shaped immigrant communities in both America and Europe.