Child Migrants Have Been Coming to America Alone Since Ellis Island

[Triana]

An unaccompanied child migrant was the first person in line on opening day of the new immigration station at Ellis Island. Her name was Annie Moore, and that day, January 1, 1892, happened to be her 15th birthday. She had traveled with her two little brothers from Cork County, Ireland, and when they walked off the gangplank, she was awarded a certificate and a $10 gold coin for being the first to register. Today, a statue of Annie stands on the island, a testament to the courage of millions of children who passed through those same doors, often traveling without an older family member to help them along.

Alarmists painted immigrants — children included — as disease-ridden job stealers bent on destroying the American way of life. And they’re still at it.

Of course, not everyone was lining up to give Annie and her fellow passengers a warm welcome. Alarmists painted immigrants — children included — as disease-ridden job stealers bent on destroying the American way of life. And they’re still at it. On a CNN segment about the current crisis of child migrants from Central and South America, Michele Bachmann used the word “invaders” and warned of rape and other dangers posed to Americans by the influx. And last week, National Review scoffed at appeals to American ideals of compassion and charity, claiming Ellis Island officials had a strict send-’em-back policy when it came to children showing up alone.

That’s not true, according to Barry Moreno, a librarian at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and author of the book Children of Ellis Island. The Immigration Act of 1907 did indeed declare that unaccompanied children under 16 were not permitted to enter in the normal fashion. But it didn’t send them packing, either. Instead, the act set up a system in which unaccompanied children — many of whom were orphans — were kept in detention awaiting a special inquiry with immigration inspectors to determine their fate. At these hearings, local missionaries, synagogues, immigrant aid societies and private citizens would often step in and offer to take guardianship of the child, says Moreno.

THE REST:
http://billmoyers.com/2014/07/18/child-migrants-have-been-coming-to-america-alone-since-ellis-island/

[winstars]

1. Young Vito Corleone was one of them, its a movie but its accurate...

Not trying to be funny here, just pointing out the obvious.

[roguevalley]

10. their is a song about her the three tenors sing. very beautiful.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. And before 1907 they came alone too.

There were even indentured servants on the Mayflower who were as young as 5.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025247228

But back to the above link: yes, at Ellis Island lots of people who didn't meet immigration standards for age were held at Ellis Island while a solution was sought. Similar treatment was offered to healthy adults who didn't have the minimum amount of cash needed to enter --they would be asked about relatives or friends already in the country who may be able to vouch for them. If the person came to the Ellis Island station and did so, they were allowed into the country.

When did we become such cold-hearted bastards?

[90-percent]

3. "When did we become such cold-hearted bastards?"

If not November 5, 1980, then certainly November 5, 2000! It's OK to substitute December 12, 2000 for November 5, 2000.

“We have always been a nation of immigrants who hate the newer immigrants” - Jon Stewart

-90% Jimmy

PS - Prior to Ellis Island, what was the standard procedure for immigrants coming to the U.S.?

[WinkyDink]

5. Now we're to go back to the 19th C.?

[The CCC]

11. "When did we become such cold-hearted bastards?"

It goes back at least to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1789.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. Those weren't directly aimed at children nor were they aimed at the huddled masses.

That came later. There were other exceptions like the Chinese exclusion act designed to prevent adults or adults with their children, but as the moyers.com piece illustrates, we had evolved in the early 20th century to treat unaccompanied children with compassion.

[Gormy Cuss]

14. The rules changed prior and after the establishment of Ellis Island.

And even after Ellis Island replaced Castle Garden other ports of entry greeted large numbers of immigrants (e.g. Boston) Practically any port could be a point of entry.

[WinkyDink]

4. It is the apple to the orange. Ellis Island was govt-sanctioned.

[livetohike]

6. My maternal Grandfather came over alone at age 15 in 1903

I never met him as he died when my Mom was 13 years old .

[Igel]

7. My half-brother's paternal grandmother did something like that.

Age 14 or 15, all the way from Sicily.

On the other hand, it was an arranged marriage, so she got off the boat and a couple of days later was married for life. He, too, was Sicilian, and had known important people in her home town.

She had a good life, they did very, very well financially. Who knew that olive oil shipments from Southern Europe to New York City during Prohibition could be so lucrative? Oddly, their fortune stopped increasing quite so much after Prohibition ended and, it seems, olive oil demand slacked off, but they had a very nice amount of cash, baubles, and real estate (under various names) set aside by then.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. My Grandfather and his brother were unaccompanied, poor minor immigrants to the US

they came through Ellis Island.

[notundecided]

9. My mother came over solo @ 10

Her father picked her up @ Ellis in1932

[polichick]

12. My grandfather came through Ellis Island as a teenager.

[xchrom]

15. du rec.

[joanbarnes]

16. My grandparents