Author: Will Roszell

The final group trip to the National Archives for our group involved tidying up the loose ends from our previous visits. My goal for this visit was to find as much information as I could about the station at El Pasos daily operations and immigrants requesting entry into the U.S. through the port. I found three files about personnel shortages throughout the Mexico/America borders. The first file requested a female janitor that could speak both English and Spanish to clean the facilities and assist the Medical Director with inspecting female immigrants.[1] The need for a janitor was also outlined in the request citing that sanitation at the facility was poor and rooms overcrowded. The second and third files examined to discuss the shortage of Immigrant Inspectors at El, Paso, and Galveston, TX.  The station at Galveston, TX, was short inspectors and temporarily utilized an inspector from Port Author, yet that would not be able to continue much longer. The head inspector at El Paso expedited an inspector to Galveston to help fill the spot.[2] The station at El Paso had written as well looking for immigration positions to be filled at their station. All three of these requests were written in late 1909-1910, indicating a severe lack of personnel and a higher increase in immigration. A similar report detailing the opening of an immigration station opening in Corpus Christi, TX, could be the reasoning behind the shortage. The shortage of inspectors at the immigration facilities could be the reason immigrants that would typically have been excluded for medical conditions to enter the United States only later deported out of the country through El Paso.

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[1]  File 53,100-600, accession E9, Subject Correspondence, 1906-1932, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85 (National Archives, Washington, DC)

[2] File 53,100-572, accession E9, Subject Correspondence, 1906-1932, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85 (National Archives, Washington, DC)

The second trip to the National Archives proved to be more successful than our first. Our group was able to prioritize our files better. This organization led to wonderful discoveries about the medical experiences of immigrants entering through El Paso’s immigration station. I learned that El Paso’s immigration station counted 5,000 individuals crossing the border daily. It stated 3,000 inspections occurred daily. [1] El Paso was unable to handle this massive number of immigrants entering through their ports and required more individuals. Of these immigrants inspected, I only found one Chinese man allowed to enter the United States through El Paso. Wong Fook Gem entered the United States with Syphilis on the assumption he conducted all his business with an escort.[2]  Wong is the first individual of Chinese descent that I found could enter through El Paso with a medical condition that was excludable.

I found information on two hospitals that treated sick or diseased immigrants. These two hospitals treated immigrants differently. The Calexico hospital was only allowed to treat patients during normal business hours. This hospital was also required to pay bonds to treat aliens or immigrants.[3] The El Centro hospital did not have to follow the same requirements.  Many Mexican aliens deported through El Paso got deported for contracting excludable diseases, making them persons likely to become a public charge (LPC). I found multiple individuals who seemed to get injured or went insane, resulting in deportation due to their injuries making them an LPC status. This trip has provided me with clues as to the uses of Medical Examinations and the ability of medical examiners to deport those who got through immigration with medical conditions and got deported afterward.

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[1] File 55608-593, accession E9, Subject Correspondence, 1906-1932, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85 (National Archives, Washington, DC)

[2] File 55,740-196, accession E9, Subject Correspondence, 1906-1932, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85 (National Archives, Washington, DC)

[3] File 55608-458 accession E9, Subject Correspondence, 1906-1932, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85 (National Archives, Washington, DC)

William Roszell

The first trip our group took was an exciting adventure that provided information for our research project. My focus of the study was on the operating procedures at the El Paso immigration station. I examined four files that benefited our overall group project. These files focused on the correspondence between multiple Immigration stations regarding Rule 16 of the Chinese Exclusion act. The file proposed changes and omissions to the wording of the rule — another record held correspondence from Galveston, Texas, and problems with Chinese entering through San Francisco. Case File 53,775-177 was the expenditure report for the Immigration station at Angel Island. The Angel Island case file did not directly impact our project but was able to assist with other groups. The Case File 53,775-178 provided immigration interrogation files from New Orleans, Ellis Island, and Pennsylvania. These documents provided direct communication and questions posed by Immigration officials for immigrants coming through these stations.

The case file 53,775-202A and 202B provided me with correspondence between Thomas Weiss, who was collecting and transporting immigrants who were being deported and taking them to their deportation stations. This file provided me with the names of individuals and locations that I can hopefully use to get more information with regards to El Paso’s immigration station.