Arriving in America did not mean that an immigrant would automatically get in. By 1907, immigration laws barred criminals, prostitutes, the insane, the feebleminded, those with certain contagious diseases, political radicals, laborers who had signed contracts to work in the United States, and people who would likely end up being supported by public funds. Individuals who fit into any of these categories had to be weeded out by the immigration inspectors. Then they were detained and eventually deported. This was the main purpose of Ellis Island. As a result, some immigrants began calling Ellis Island, the "Isle of Tears."

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Before arriving on Ellis Island, each steerage passenger was tagged with a number. Upon docking at Ellis Island, interpreters formed the immigrants into groups of 30 by yelling out numbers in various languages.

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Then came the first test. As the tired, but excited immigrants walked into the main building, they had to climb a steep set of stairs. At the top were doctors watching for lame or ill people. This was known as the "six-second physical."

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After leaving their baggage in Registry Hall, immigrants faced a series of medical exams. First, doctors asked brisk questions, which nearby interpreters translated. Children were asked their names in order to check for deafness and dumbness. Then doctors inspected each immigrant's face, hair, neck and hands. Other doctors looked for tuberculosis, leprosy, cholera, and other diseases. The last doctor was the "eye man." He quickly snapped back the eyelids of each person with a buttonhook, looking for trachoma, a highly infectious disease that causes blindness.

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If a doctor suspected a person had some disease or condition that could lead to deportation, a letter was marked in chalk on the immigrant's clothing. An "H" meant suspected heart disease. An "F" meant facial rash. An "L" meant lameness or rickets. An "X" meant a mental defect. And an "E" meant eye disease. About 20 percent were detained for further examination. Those who passed the doctors' examinations were sent back to Registry Hall to be questioned further by federal immigration inspectors.

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In the early 1900s, immigration inspectors on Ellis Island worked from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, with only a few days off. These inspectors questioned 400-500 immigrants apiece each day. They had about two minutes to decide whether an immigrant was "clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to land."

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The inspectors put the same questions to every immigrant: "Who paid for your passage?" "How many dependents?" "Ever been in prison?" "Can you read and write?" "What work do you do?" "Do you have a job waiting for you?" ("Yes" would mean a violation of the Contract Labor Law, and certain deportation) "Is anyone meeting you?" "Where are you going?" "How much money do you have?" The immigrants spent their long days aboard ship practicing their answers to these questions. They knew that if they slipped, they couldn't get in.

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Romans 8;18-32 John 3;16-18