Immigrants Inspected – Keeping America “Safe” 1921
Immigrants Examined By New York City Health Officials For Typhus Symptoms
To ward off a possible spread of the dread typhus in New York, Dr. Royal S. Copeland, Health Commissioner, has assigned a squad of inspectors to examine all immigrants released from Ellis Island on their arrival in New York City. The immigrants must pass two inspections before being permitted to land. The Federal health authorities examine them at Ellis Isalnd and Dr. Copeland’s squad assisted by New York police round them up at the Battery and take them to a nearby ferry house where another examination is made. Several carriers of the typhus lice according to reports have been discovered by the Copeland squad after the Ellis Island officials had permitted them to pass through.
The photo shows Dr. Copeland’s squad examining newly landed immigrants. photo: International News 2-14-21
Today there is much more than typhus to worry about when deciding who shall be admitted to the United States. “Extreme vetting” to thwart terrorists is one of the big debates. And of course there is that contentious issue of the estimated 11 million people that are in the United States illegally.
In all the arguments that have been brought up about amnesty for illegals, I have not seen anyone saying they are against legal immigrants and immigration.
So are most Americans against immigrants and immigration or are they really against granting amnesty for illegal aliens: people who entered the country illegally or have stayed longer than they were allowed to?
How the fight about illegal aliens and immigration, people who entered this country illegally has been twisted into an attack on all immigrants and immigration is mind boggling.
The misguided attempt to equate and justify legal emigration with undocumented immigrants and illegal immigration is a juxtaposition of the issue.
Every American should be supporting legally emigrating to the United States. Those people who went through, or are going through an arduous process to become American citizens deserve commendation and support. Which leads to the question- How can anyone support what are essentially “line cutters?”
It is a stunning development to see media and groups of people supporting anyone being allowed to stay in the United States when they entered illegally.
For a moment let’s forget about the fact that their are millions of people who have taken the time to follow our laws and go through the process of legally emigrating and have taken the Oath of Allegiance.
Should anyone, for any reason, be allowed to emigrate to the United States? Should there be no rules or litmus tests? There are people that would say yes on both counts.
Except for Native Americans, everyone in the USA is an immigrant in one form or another.
But the point that all these “immigrant rights” groups seem to ignore is, is that there are laws in place and they are supposed to be followed and enforced. As John Locke said “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.” To ignore our immigration laws is a supreme insult to every person who has gone the distance in becoming an American citizen legally.
And what do I mean when I say go the distance? The American Immigration Center points out:
“The U.S. citizenship application process can take less than a year or several years. Those who are not permanent residents but wish to become U.S. citizens must first immigrate to the U.S. and become legal permanent residents.
Once they become permanent residents, a process that alone can take a few years, they will need to remain in the U.S. and establish permanent residency for five years, without extended absences. Once the five years are up, they will then be able to apply for naturalization. If they take active part in the American armed forces or are married to U.S. citizens, the residency requirement may be far smaller.”
The road to becoming a citizen is not easy, but its rewards are ample and remain a privilege that must be earned.
So the essential question really is: Why should the United States allow anyone to illegally enter and remain in this country?
Try visiting places such as China, Mexico, Japan, South Africa, Brazil, Spain or almost any country in the world and staying after your visa has expired. The result? You will eventually be arrested. Then you will be deported. And finally, don’t go to Iran illegally, you may be executed.
Thank you for pointing out the difference between legal immigrants and illegal aliens. It brought back some memories for me. Twenty years ago I had the pleasure and honor of working in an ESOL program. Teachers and staff formed close bonds with people who had immigrated from Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China … from all over the globe. It was a fascinating, wonderful experience and I will never forget some of the beautiful people I met. One was an older gentleman from Eastern Europe. He was working as a janitor at night and attending English classes during the day. He told us he had been a Doctor in his country and hoped to once again practice in the U.S. All of the students were like this gentleman. They worked fiercely hard to gain English skills and assimilate into our beautiful country. It was always a shining moment when one of the students became a U.S. Citizen.
One more thing – no matter where they came from, they worked together, learning, studying and sharing bits and pieces of their lives with one another. It was a beautiful time.