The case of Harry Singh, case file number 55,182-86 begins in much the same way as that of Abdul Samad; H. Singh was a sailor on a British shipping vessel and was left behind in Philadelphia due to illness. In H. Singh’s case, however, the injury was far more severe. A doctor in a nearby hospital reported that H. Singh had “chronic suppurative otitis media and chronic mastoiditis of the left ear, associated with severe pain in the head suggestive of intracranial complications.” This infection behind his ear and the discharge from his left ear canal suggests that perhaps H. Singh had some sort of head trauma while aboard the vessel or while in port that rendered him unable to work. This injury was indeed severe enough that H. Singh’s doctor submitted a letter to INS stating that if he did not receive treatment, including surgery, immediately he would likely die. INS granted this request as well as another request to allow H. Singh to remain in the hospital to recover from this surgery, pending a bond, which H. Singh was able to provide. As soon as the doctor had cleared H. Singh to leave the hospital, H. Singh was ordered deported.[1] H. Singh provides a valuable contrast to Abdul Samad; while both were originally waylaid in the U.S. due to illness, the latter decided to attempt to assimilate and attempt naturalization while the former was willing to be deported. This juxtaposition in the types of permanent and temporary immigrants shows the variety of ways that South Asians demonstrated their transmigrational tendencies and the way in which globalization affected their ability to do so.
The case of Ridley Whitely, case file number 55404/397, is similar to the case of Harry Singh; like H. Singh, Ridley Whitely was a British sailor that was also left behind in Brooklyn due to illness. One of the documents in his file stated that, “he is a native of the Barred Zone; he cannot read; he has no friends or relatives in the United States; states he is ill and unable to maintain himself.”[2] Another document within his file recommends that he should be deported because he was an LPC as well; his sickness, illegal status, and race make him more likely to be classified as an LPC. While he was deported on the grounds of LPC, he states that he wants to stay permanently as a citizen in the United States.
An interesting question Whitely’s inspector asked him was if he was addicted to the use of drugs. His response to that question was “no, but about a year ago, I was with four men, two Americans and two East Indians who gave me something to drink. Since then I have been sick-weakened joints, headache and dizzy spells.”[3] At the time of his questioning, the United States experienced a nationwide prohibition. His possible consumption of alcohol could have furthered his status as LPC. That same inspector in another statement wrote that “he has the appearance of one who is or has been addicted to the use of drugs.”[4] This sentence, in particular, indicates that the inspector may be connecting Whitely’s sickliness to drugs. If so, Whitely’s case may also be a record of the prolific racial profiling endemic to this period.
An error found in Whitely’s case surrounds his literacy status. According to his case, Whitely stated that he had been to the United States before 1922. According to a document on ancestry.com, Whitely journeyed from Liverpool to New York on January 22, 1919.[5] He came via the Cretic, which had numerous South Asians as crew members. While his exact nation of origin cannot be determined, he is recorded as a Bengalize man who is able to read. His literacy status from this 1919 manifest differs from his 1922 case file. Ridley Whitely, like Abdul Samad, attempted to gain naturalized US citizenship. His case continues the juxtaposition of permanent and temporary types of immigrants and demonstrates again how transnationalism and globalization affected his ability to stay.
[1] File 55,182-86, Subject and Policy Files, 1893-1957, Records of Immigration and Naturalization Services, RG 85 (National Archives, Washington, DC).
[2] Jones, Immigrant Inspector, Ellis Island, N.Y., August 26, 1924, File 55404/397; Court Transcript, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, (National Archives, Washington, DC).
[3] Jones, Immigrant Inspector, Ellis Island, N.Y., August 26, 1924, File 55404/397; Court Transcript, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, (National Archives, Washington, DC).
[4] Jones, Immigrant Inspector, Ellis Island, N.Y., August 26, 1924, File 55404/397; Court Transcript, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, (National Archives, Washington, DC).
[5] Year: 1919; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 2620; Line: 23; Page Number: 155