Article by Mary M. Hatch titled “Ellis Island, Immigration, and Common Sense”
From 1900 to 1914 America was booming from its second industrial revolution, mainly because of steel and manufacturing. Ten million more laborers were needed – iron and steel workers alone increased by over 1,200%. During this period, 14.2 million immigrants and refugees arrived in America, mainly from Germany, Ireland, England, Italy, Russia, and the Slavic countries due to persecution, evictions, starvation, and lack of work. America needed every immigrant that could make it through Ellis Island screening. As long as they did not have a disease, had a job opportunity or sponsor, and no criminal history, they went through the screening in 3-5 hours, a huge feat in an era without computers or cell phones. Much information was gleaned from the ship’s manifest records before entering the great hall. First- and second-class passengers usually went straight through; however, the steerage section was barged over to Ellis Island. On average, 3,500 a day were processed and some days when 10 ships came in 8,000 to 10,000 were processed. (Forgotten Ellis Island). They enjoyed their first meal in America in the great hall.
President Theodore Roosevelt visited Ellis Island in 1901 to make sure “every able body came through.” Roosevelt found out that many families were separated and had to go back to their country of origin if one member had an incurable disease such as Favus (fungus disease) or Trachoma (contagious eye disease) or were feeble minded. In 1901 Roosevelt proposed a change to immigration by erecting a 22-building state-of-the-art hospital. It began in 1901 and the first complex was completed in 1902. Favus and Trachoma were some of the many diseases treated. William Williams, the Ellis Island Commissioner, made it clear that, “Immigrants shall be treated with kindness and civility by everyone at Ellis Island – no harsh language tolerated” (Forgotten Ellis Island). Approximately 30% of the inspectors were immigrants and they showed compassion. Amazingly, there was only a 2-3% disqualification rate. Part of the deal with the steamship companies was free passage home. But families separated by incurable diseases created the slogan, “The Island of tears and joy.” (Forgotten Ellis Island).
Like the Industrial Revolution, we currently have a labor shortage of nearly 8 million. One reason is that from 1950 to 1960, the average family had 3.79 children, but from 1970 to 2023 the average is 2.45 children (paychex 3/12/24), and baby boomers are retiring in droves – many of them know the trades. Another reason is over 15 million jobs were created during Biden’s administration with the bipartisan American Rescue Plan Act, Build Back Better, and CHIPS and Science Act, but not enough skilled workers to fill the jobs. What’s helping with the labor shortage is the number of high schools and junior colleges that incorporated the Apprenticeship USA program to teach trades that will allow people to make a living wage; but more time is needed for more to be trained. (US Dept. of Commerce and House Budget Committee). Besides manufacturing, we are experiencing labor shortages in healthcare, construction, farming, transportation, hospitality, education, plumbing, drivers, STEM, and more. Seven million STEM workers are immigrants: 2.7 million in healthcare, 1.8 million harvest our farms, 59,420 immigrant dairy workers, 340,000 in poultry and slaughter houses, 2.47 million in manufacturing, 669,000 commercial drivers, 1 million in hospitality, and 1.8 million in construction just to name a few categories. (Axios 3/14/24, MPI.org 4/7/23, US Bureau of Labor, USDA, BLS 2020, FWD.US 9/14/22, Construction Dive). The total number of immigrants in just those industries is 17,838,420.
Not only are the much-needed immigrants literally building our country from ground up, feeding us, nursing and doctoring us, they pay billions in taxes each year and pay into our Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment without receiving it themselves unless they work 40 quarters in a row (Pres. Reagan set this up with an ITIN #). In 2022, they paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes ($25.7 billion to Social Security, $6.4 billion to Medicare and $1.8 bill to unemployment. They are literally helping to keep Social Security and Medicare alive. (Itep.org 7/30/24)
We need immigrants more than ever, but our nation is experiencing xenophobia and hatred towards immigrants because a talking point for our current president was for Americans to fear immigrants and to think they are all criminals. This is cruel and dangerous propaganda. According to the world organization, UNHCR, there are over 120 million displaced people in the world forced to leave their homes because of persecution, war, violence, gangs, and ethnic cleansing. Many of the world’s refugee organizations have stated that this is the worst genocide in over 100 years. When the refugees and asylum seekers come to our borders or ports of entry (legal per international laws and our domestic laws), they many times have traveled on foot hundreds and thousands of miles with one or two backpacks similar earlier immigrants who came in steerage to Ellis Island. It was obvious to the Ellis Island inspectors that they were refugees, not criminals. When they came to Ellis Island they were fed, and even supplied bathing areas and a hospital for the sick. This is what our country used to do instead of throwing children and mothers in the Rio Grande River, separating families, putting babies in cages, sending immigrants to detention camps, and housing them with regular prisoners – shackled and dressed in orange suits – waiting between 1-4 years to be heard in our courts and hired out at $1.00 a day. There are over 200 of these detention camps in America and Geo Group and Core Civic will be building 200 more. These two companies make billions housing immigrants and they gave millions to Trump’s campaign; their stock increased 25% after he was elected in 2024 (People’s World 11/18/24).
If Teddy Roosevelt was President today, he would fire all the guards and remodel the buildings as humane processing centers making sure that every refugee coming to our ports of entry (airports, borders, and seaports) were processed as long as they had a sponsor, job prospect, and no criminal history. We had many sponsorship programs to process refugees and asylum seekers until the newly elected Trump just suspended them all. The Temporary Protection Status Program helped refugees by pairing them with sponsors. Many companies in Springfield, Ohio (the place where Trump said, “They are eating the dogs”), are using this program. The TPS program was enacted by George H.W. Bush in 1990. Biden expanded the program. Several churches, such as the Methodists, Baptists, Protestants, Lutherans, Catholics, Muslims, Episcopalians, and Jewish groups (did not find any Christian Nationalists helping), are using Faith Based Sponsorship programs to help immigrants find jobs. Pres. Jimmy Carter started USRAP, another refugee program, and today’s Welcome Corp. is an add-on program for refugees. This was also suspended by Trump.
Presidents Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George Bush Jr., and Biden all knew we not only need them but they grow our GDP and they work at jobs Americans don’t want. Not only do they pay federal taxes, but also state and local taxes. George Bush Jr. also wanted a faster track to citizenship. His institute found that they grow our economy, start businesses, create jobs in towns they move in to, and that crime actually goes down because they come to work, make money, and build a better life for their families. It took Reagan 15 years to give amnesty to 3 million undocs. Presidents on both sides used compassion and common sense.
Our newly elected President wants to reinstate family separation at the border and deport over 11 million immigrants. If you add the 11 million undocs to the already 8 million shortage, our nation will experience a 20 million shortage. That’s not even counting the DACA, TPS, and green card holders. If this happens, our housing and grocery (meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, and more) prices will increase, we’ll have empty store shelves because of driver delays, twice as long wait times for healthcare, and a collapsing economy because of the deportation cost, income loss, and hyper-inflation. The Economic Times, in their Dec. 24, 2024 issue, noted that many economists have warned that such actions could precipitate an economic downturn rivaling the Great Depression. My question is: Why does the newly elected president and his staff want to collapse our economy? I can only guess that the billionaires will be picking up farmland and foreclosed homes for peanuts when millions lose their jobs and livelihood. And maybe the Christian Nationalists and The Heritage Foundation need to review some bible quotes: Mathew 25: 42-26, “Those who take care of the strangers will receive eternal life and those who do not will receive eternal punishment”, Leviticus 19:33, “and if a stranger dwells temporarily with you in your land, you shall not suppress and mistreat him”, and Leviticus 24:22, “You shall have the law for the sojourner among you as for one of your own nationality, for I am the Lord”.