IMMIGRATION VOLUME-CHIEF SOURCES-ADMISSIONS-DISTRIBUTION-REJECTIONS The tables of immigration statistics presented in the appendix are so arranged as to furnish, in convenient form, figures for use by those interested in the statistical phases of the immigration problem. In the tables showing the number of aliens admitted by classes under the immigration act of 1924 three general terms are used, namely, nonimmigrant, nonquota immigrant, and quota immigrant. These terms, as defined by the act, are based largely on the calling of the arriving alien, whereas the terms immigrant and nonimmigrant as used in the regular immigration tables are based on the arriving alien's last or intended future country of residence. The inward and outward movements of aliens are not unlike the tides. Restlessly humanity ebbs and flows. The ebb and flow vary from year to year, rarely, however, without a substantial accretion. This accretion during the fiscal year covered by this report amounted to 226,275 persons; in 1927, to 284,493; in 1926, to 268,351, and in 1925, to 232,945. Statistically speaking, the inward movement is, in the main, divided into immigrants and nonimmigrants, the outward movement into emigrants and nonemigrants. The immigrant comes to us to stay; the emigrant goes from us to stay. The nonimmigrant either comes to us to stay but temporarily or is returning to us to resume an unrelinquished domicile. The nonemigrant goes from us with the intention of returning to his home here. However, if an alien came to us as a nonimmigrant, he is treated as a nonemigrant upon departure, regardless of intentions. Again statistically speaking, the past fiscal year witnessed the entry of 307,255 immigrant and 193,376 nonimmigrant aliens, making a total of 500,631 aliens admitted. There left the United States 77,457 emigrant and 196,899 nonemigrant aliens, or a total of 274,356, resulting in a net increase in the alien population of 226,275 persons and an excess of immigrants over emigrants of 229,798. There were 18,839 aliens denied admission, and alien seamen to the number of 1,118,999 were examined, making a total of 1,638,469 aliens, aside from visitors and regular border crossers, who were accorded immigration inspection. The number of all classes inspected in the previous fiscal year, exclusive of visitors and regular border crossers, was 1,701,842. The number of the same classes inspected in the year 1926 was 1,547,335. Of the 307,255 immigrant aliens admitted in 1928, the countries of northwestern Europe, principally Germany, the Irish Free State, Great Britain, and Scandinavia, contributed 116,267, or 37.9 per cent, and southern and eastern Europe, 42,246, or 13.7 per cent. Immigration from Europe as a whole dropped from 168,368 in 1927 to 158,513 in 1928. The shrinkage, with one exception, was distributed proportionally amongst the countries which constitute the principal sources of overseas immigration. The exception noted was Italy, which sent 17,297 immigrants in 1927 and 17,728 in 1928. Immigration from South America and the West Indies also showed a slight increase, but the number of immigrants coming from countries of the Western Hemisphere as a whole dropped from 161,872 in 1927 to 144,281 in 1928. While Canada and Mexico continue to furnish a large proportion of present-day immigrants, each country (notwithstanding the natives of each are exempt from quota limitations in common with the independent countries of Central and South America) sent a decreased number of immigrants in the past year, the decrease amounting to 8,352 in the case of Canada and 8,705 in the case of Mexico as compared with the year 1927 when 81,506 immigrants came from Canada and 67,721 from Mexico. Over two-thirds of the 307,255 immigrant aliens admitted during the past year were from 16 to 37 years old, 73,092 being from 16 to 21 years of age, 95,727 from 22 to 29 years of age, and 42,642 from 30 to 37 years of age. Children under 16 years of age numbered 49,680, or 16.2 per cent of the total; adults from 38 to 44 years of age numbered 19,371, and 26,743 were 45 years of age or over. The ratio of male immigrants to female immigrants was about 7 to 6; 14,559 females and 12,184 males gave their age as 45 years or over. The number of male immigrants dropped from 194,163 in 1927 to 165,977 in 1928, a decrease of 14.6 per cent, while the number of female immigrants remained fairly stationary, 141,012 entering in 1927 and 141,278 in 1928. The immigrant aliens admitted represented almost every imaginable calling. Those claiming no occupation predominated, 125,092 being of this class, consisting mainly of women and children. Teachers, numbering 2,391, led in the professional group; 1,655 aliens were recorded as engineers, 1,327 as electricians, and 1,130 as members of the clergy. Clerks and accountants numbered 15,122; carpenters, masons, plasterers, plumbers, iron and steel workers, and others in the building trades, 10,843; other skilled workers numbered 32,963; common laborers, 36,218; 24,161 were farm laborers, 28,751 were servants, 8,773 were farmers, and 3,378 were merchants and dealers seeking new opportunities in the United States. As usual, over one-half of the new arrivals, or, to be exact, 156,658, or 51 per cent, settled in States of the North Atlantic group; 67,741, or 22.1 per cent, in the North Central States; 5,023, or 1.6 per cent, in the South Atlantic States; 38,697, or 12.6 per cent, in the South Central States; and 39,136, or 12.7 per cent, in the Western States and outlying possessions. The newcomers exhibited a preference for New York, Texas, Michigan, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, in the order named, over four-fifths of the immigrants giving these eight States as their intended future permanent residence. New York State drew 87,503, Texas 36,698 (mainly from Mexico), Michigan 25,872, California 23,344 (mainly from Mexico), Massachusetts 20,461, Illinois 19,165, Pennsylvania 17,950, and New Jersey 15,967. An interesting sidelight is shed upon the foregoing figures by the following facts: Over one-fifth, or 7,484 out of 33,597, of the English race, chose New York State for their home; 7,122, Michigan; 5,458, Massachusetts; 2,838, California; 1,298, Maine; 1,238, Pennsylvania; and 1,392, Washington. The French immigrants admitted during the past year, numbering 17,963, nearly all of whom came from Canada, stayed close to the border after coming into the United States. New York State, with 4,192, was the destination of the largest number, followed by Massachusetts with 2,957, Michigan with 2,431, Maine with 1,507, Connecticut with 1,085, and New Hampshire with 1,065. Over two-fifths, 23,078 out of 54,157 of the German immigrants, settled in New York State. New Jersey received 5,602, Illinois 5,133, Pennsylvania 4,304, Michigan 2,470, Ohio 2,360, Wisconsin 2,153, and California 1,687. Of the 11,639 Hebrew immigrants, 7,100 settled in New York, 759 in Illinois, 752 in Pennsylvania, 655 in Michigan, and 498 in New Jersey. Of a total of 38,193 Irish immigrants, 16,550 settled in New York, 4,934 in Massachusetts, 3,453 in Michigan, 2,711 in Pennsylvania, 2,227 in Illinois, and 2,155 in New Jersey. New York claimed the lion's share of the 18,740 Italian immigrants admitted last year, 7,554 settling in that State. The coal mines and steel industries of Pennsylvania attracted 3,025 to the Keystone State. New Jersey received 1,538, Illinois 1,269, and Massachusetts 1,074. As in former years, Mexicans as a rule gave Texas, California, or Arizona as their destination. Out of the total of 57,765 of such immigrants, 35,615 designated Texas; 11,003 designated California, and 4,944 named Arizona. A negligible number designated the Northern States as fields of future endeavor. To the uninitiated these figures would be misleading. It is a fact well known, to the immigration officers at least, that these destinations are merely stepping-stones, so to speak. These people, in response to the call of higher wages, are constantly moving northward and eastward from the southern tier of States mentioned into the interior of the United States, some almost immediately after entry and others after a sojourn of a few months— or at most after a year or two-in the States named, leaving their places to be filled by newcomers. Of the 18,664 Scandinavians (Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes), 5,325 settled in New York State and the balance largely in Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, and California. The Scotch scattered. Of the 23,177 immigrants of this race admitted during the year, 5,485 were destined to New York, 5,120 to Michigan, 2,861 to Massachusetts, and 1,788 to New Jersey. The other races or peoples principally making up our immigration were destined mainly as follows: African (black), to New York, Massachusetts, and Florida; Dutch and Flemish, to Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and California; Greek, to New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Massachusetts; Polish, to New York Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New Jersey; Slovak, to Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio; Spanish American, to New York and California; and Welsh, to Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. Applicants for admission Aliens whose cases were pending beginning of fiscal year 1928. New applicants during the year.. 1, 564 Admitted on primary inspection. Cases finally disposed of (aliens coming for permanent or temporary residence or to resume unrelinquished domicile): 519, 471 Admitted by board of special inquiry. Admitted after temporary detention (without board of special inquiry hearing) 471, 140 6,470 Appeal sustained (alien admitted). Rejected by board of special inquiry but appealed to department— Rejected by board of special inquiry without appeal to department. Before board of special inquiry. On appeal to department... Total admitted_. Aliens rejected during the year: By board of special inquiry without appeal to Aliens whose cases were pending at close of fiscal year 1928: 14 13 43 891 310 7 19 268 1, 564 519, 471 521, 035 477, 610 21, 255 1, 766 500, 631 Alien stowaways found on board vessels arriving from foreign ports Miscellaneous transactions at land border stations Number of aliens handled coming temporarily: Cases pending beginning of year. Admitted on primary inspection_. Admitted after temporary detention, without BSI hearing Admitted by board of special inquiry.. Rejected by board of special inquiry (alien debarred without appeal to department). Rejected by BSI but appealed to department Appeal sustained (alien admitted). Appeal denied (alien debarred)__ Cases pending close of year Before board of special inquiry On appeal to department... Applicants refused examination on account of inability or unwillingness to meet head tax requirements.. Applicants referred to board of special inquiry from border stations, and who failed to apply for examination.... Applicants inspected at railway stations and wharves at interior points in foreign contiguous territory, who failed to appear for board of special inquiry examination. therein: United States citizens, returning to United States to resume residence Aliens debarred or deported within one year who again applied for 8, 433 1, 440 United States citizens returning after a temporary stay in a for- -19, 837, 881 363 9, 809 27, 041 11, 925 610, 719 Illiterate aliens, border residents, granted special crossing privi lege under department dispensation Aliens to whom visitor's head tax certificates were issued Transferred to permanent manifest.. Returned to foreign contiguous territory Pending close of year.. Transits admitted, payment of head tax not required. ALIENS REJECTED Of the 18,839 aliens rejected upon arrival over six-sevenths were excluded at land-border ports, 13,600 on the Canadian border, 2,805 on the Mexican border, and the balance at seaports. The effectiveness of the system of presifting aliens abroad through the assistance. of technical advisers to American consuls is reflected in the percentage of rejections at the seaports. In the fiscal year 1928 less than seventenths of 1 per cent of the total applicants for admission at all the seaports were rejected, or 2,434 out of 357,823 applicants. At New York, the port of landing for the bulk of the arrivals from overseas, the rejections were 1,140 out of 292,244, or three-tenths of 1 per cent. The major portion of the rejections at the seaports was due to the absence of proper visas under the immigration act of 1924, the persons affected being largely stowaways and seamen seeking permanent residence in the United States. IMMIGRATION FROM CANADA Immigration from Canada has decreased from year to year since the present quota law became effective July 1, 1924, requiring visas of all immigrants seeking admission to the United States. In 1925 |