HOW IMMIGRANTS ARE INSPECTED. 3 6 i 



and placed upon the waiting train. These precautions are taken to 

 protect the immigrants from the boarding house ' runners ' and other 

 sharpers who lie in wait for them at the Battery. Aliens detained as 

 not clearly entitled to land are brought before the board, and, if the 

 evidence is complete, either deported or discharged. When the evi- 

 dence is incomplete, the immigrant is detained pending the verification 

 of his story, or the arrival of his relatives or friends. All cases are 

 disposed of as rapidly as possible, and immigrants are detained the 

 minimum amount of time required for procuring and carefully con- 

 sidering the evidence in the case. Those ordered deported are returned 

 to the ship as soon as possible after the decision is rendered, providing 

 no appeal is made. 



Missionaries and representatives of various religious denominations 

 and societies have offices upon Ellis Island and render valuable assist- 

 ance to the immigrant. They provide temporary shelter and protection 

 for discharged aliens, and direct them to legitimate employers of labor. 

 In this way they relieve the government of caring for many temporarily 

 detained aliens, especially young women traveling alone. They write 

 letters and send telegrams to the friends of the detained immigrants, 

 and assist them in many other ways. 



The fine adjustment of details and perfection of system which 

 enable the federal officers at Ellis Island to examine, under our laws, 

 thousands of aliens each day must be seen to be fully appreciated. Nor 

 is this careful and strict execution of our laws limited to Ellis Island. 

 The writer has roughly described the inspection at New York, because 

 it is our largest port of entry, but the same attention to detail and 

 strict enforcement of laws and regulations can be said to exist at all 

 our ports, and an investigation, by any one interested, will reveal the 

 fact that not only are the laws for our protection strictly enforced, but 

 their enforcement is marked by humane and kindly treatment of the 

 alien. 



VOL. lxvi. — 24. 



