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Regulations on Ellis Island were set up because Americans wanted only strong hardy people that would earn their way. They felt that America was an opportunity for many in the world that should be appreciated.

In Oregon in 2004. I saw many illegal immigrants that were coming to the United States and utilizing the food coupons, free preschool programs and free tutoring services. When I taught English classes in the schools to these students, they were not interested in learning our Pledge of Allegiance. Rather, they wanted to cite their own country’s pledge. At the Western Union stations, there were always Mexican illegals, mailing their U.S. earned money back to their families in Mexico. Where was their true appreciation and allegiance?

At Ellis Island in the 1890s, immigrants to the United States were paraded before a series of medical officers for medical and legal inspection. Those whom the doctors deemed physically or mentally deficient were marked with chalk and taken away for additional screening. Any signs of contagious disease, poor physique, feeblemindedness or insanity could see an immigrant denied admittance on the grounds that they were likely to become a ward of the state or an illegal contract laborer. 1 In later years, doctors at Ellis Island even devised puzzles and memory tests to ensure that certain immigrants were intelligent enough to find work. They could also face rejection if they were anarchists, had a criminal record or showed signs of low moral character. 2

Can you guess what these statistics show? 3

- Latino voters largely supported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Seventy-nine percent of Latino voters supported Clinton and 18 percent supported Trump. 4

MAUREEN PATERSON

Priest River

1. libertyellisfoundation.org/ellis-island-history

2. history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-ellis-island

3. americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2017/04/20/430736/facts-immigration-today-2017-edition/

4. Latino Decisions, “The Rundown on Latino Voter Election Eve Polling and Latino Exit Polls,” November 9, 2016, available at latinodecisions.com/blog/2016/11/09/the-rundown-on-latino-voter-election-eve-polling-and-latino-exit-polls