The Ellis Island Immigrant Journey: Step by Step

Upon landing at Ellis Island, each immigrant moved through a structured gauntlet:

1. Baggage Room: Deposit trunks; currency exchange; orientation.
2. Registry Room (Great Hall): Clerks recorded name, age, origin, occupation, destination on manifest cards.
3. Medical Inspection: "Six-second exam" up the stairs—doctors checked for trachoma (eyelid flip), lameness, cough, fever, mental disability. Chalk marks coded defects.
4. Legal Interview: Inspector verified manifest answers: 29 questions (name, money, relatives, politics, criminal record, contract labor).
5. Disposition:
   • Admitted (80%+): Ferry to Manhattan/NJ.
   • Detained (10–15%): Medical, legal, or sponsorship hold (days–weeks).
   • Deported (~2%): Return voyage at steamship line's expense.

The process took 3–7 hours for most; the unlucky waited in dormitories, hospitals, or hearing rooms.