Are we forgetting that people who came to this country did not have all there papers either?

Question

Hello! People are forgetting history. Not all people that came through Ellis Island had papers either, how convenient that we forget, remember the wops, poles, limeys etc. . "Without Official Papers" WOP get it? We are all immigrants except for the American Indians.

Answer 1

Indians came to this country without papers and none were required. So they also immigrated. Pilgrims came without papers and none were required, no government existed here to require them. Through the rest of US history a government formed and now paperwork is required. If you don't have it you are a criminal.

You are also using WOP incorrectly.

Answer 2

There was a time when people were allowed to immigrate freely. The land was vast and needed people to fill it. People with determination seeking to live the American Dream and make a new life for themselves free from oppression. Those days are gone.

There is a limit to how many immigrants any country can accept and what you choose to leave out of this little diatribe is that the people who came in the immigrant booms were controlled and vetted through places like Ellis Island. Many of these immigrants were turned back for a variety of reasons which included, but were not limited to illness and undesirable status. Today we have illegals streaming into the country largely uncontrolled and in direct violation of the laws of the land. You may not like the law. You may not think the law is fair. However, it is the law none the less and it must be obeyed until such time as it is changed.

American Indians were not native to the land. They also immigrated here. People seem to equate occupation with ownership. Just because you can live in a certain place, or were the first to arrive does not mean that you own that place. Ownership is directly proportional to your ability to defend the land in question.

Answer 3

They didn't need papers then. They just had to be processed, and found not to be a known criminal, mentally ill, or physically unable to work. A full 3% of those stopping in Ellis Island were sent back. Only 97% were allowed in. So, because nearly everyone could come in legally, there were almost no illegal immigrants. On top of that, there was a way to quarantine people who were otherwise good candidates for immigration, but had communicable diseases. I'm pretty sure if we had a checkpoint in Brownsville or Tucson or somewhere now and they just screened for the truly undesirable, virtually all Latin American immigrants would come in legally.

Answer 4

Initially the American Indian welcomed the immigrants and did nothing to stop the flow. By the time they tried they were vastly outmanned by immigrants with superior weapons and look what happened then. Immigration through Ellis island helped to populate the country and brought diversity into our culture but there is a limit as many nations are already struggling due to overpopulation. What's your point?

Answer 5

The borders were relatively open at this point in history. We were more concerned with increasing the population and bringing in workers. The technology also didn't exist to document everyone all the time then, but it does now. Keep in mind that we are not trying to bar every single person from coming here, but we want them to follow the legal course of action that currently exists.

Way to sound enlightened with your use of ethnic slurs though, good work!

Answer 6

It's not a matter of "forgetting" history. It's a matter of KNOWING history. In1819 federal legislation on immigration required notation of passenger lists, four years after millions of immigrants came to the United States. In 1891 the Bureau of Immigration was established, and Congress added health qualifications to immigration restrictions. And as far as I know, that legislation still stands.

It is, however, a whole different matter as to the enforcement of the law. How convenient for the liberal left to "forget" that our nation even has these laws.

Answer 7

You seem to forget that they at least did go through Ellis Island and were THEN allowed into the country. They may not have had the means all those years ago to obtain proper documentation prior to taking the trip over here but things are different today.

Sneaking across our border for the purpose of avoiding the legal means of immigrating is still ILLEGAL!

Answer 8

Even the "American Indians" were immigrants if you'd bother to read your history.

You can not make a logical comparison to the immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th century to the problems we have with undocumented i.e. ILLEGAL immigrants today. We haven't forgotten about our past as a nation we realize that times have changed and there is NO LONGER any need for massive numbers of unskilled workers to immigrate into this country. We have a right to expect that people entering this country do so legally and our Government has the legal obligation to locate and deport all who are in this country illegally.

Answer 9

This is an old argument and a pointless one. Immigration law has changed a lot in the last 100 years. The laws in place when my grandfather came over in 1920 are different than they are now. All that matters is the legal status of an individual immigrant based on how and when they entered the country.

Answer 10

You are so dumb.

That was a long time ago where law and constitutions were not yet formed.

Its 2007 where there are laws that have to be followed by everyone. These laws are here for a reason....Look at how many illegals crossed the broder. Imagine if there was no laws..alot more would cross.


The laws are here to stay, so deal with it...
If you dislike laws I am sure you can find a country to live it with no laws.