Desperate Times
World War I brought a new level of difficulty for the immigrants trying to enter the United States through Ellis Island. Some immigrants didn’t pass the required inspections for passage to the mainland. They would normally be deported, but during the war, some immigrants could not be sent back. They would remain detained for an undetermined amount of time, sometimes years, a person without a country.
Commissioner Frederick Howe tried to help these immigrants by giving them more freedom to socialize, and would occasionally helped reclassify an immigrant as “feebleminded.” This allowed the immigrant passage to the United States on bond. Visitors were allowed twice a week. Despite Howe’s efforts for reforms, detainees still felt like they were in prison.
