AP Explains: Immigrant entry exams had puzzles, delousing

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
May 20, 2019

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump announced last week a wide-ranging immigration plan that would change how certain immigrants would be allowed in the U.S. His proposal includes a civics test for entrance that some critics say could exclude many high-skilled immigrants. Other critics called the idea of a civics exam bizarre and charged that some U.S. citizens even might fail such a test.

If adopted, this would not be the first time the U.S. has embraced a physical or mental exam for immigrants seeking just to get into the country outside of becoming a citizen. Here’s a look at how the U.S. used entrance exams on aspiring immigrants throughout history:

ELLIS ISLAND

Millions of immigrants from Europe would come through Ellis Island in New York Harbor before entering the U.S. in the early 20th Century and U.S. officials would subject them to all sorts of physical and mental exams.

To determine the “mental fitness” of new arrivals, an examiner administered an exam involving a wooden 10-piece puzzle known as the Feature Profile Test. According to the Smithsonian , officials said the exam would help keep out “feeble-minded” immigrants.

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FORCED FUMIGATION

During the Mexican Revolution from 1910-20, the U.S. began adopting policies to halt refugees seeking to escape the violence. Some white people complained that Mexican migrants carried diseases and lice and demanded federal officials delouse migrants.

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