If my grandparents made their journey to the UK today, the same flight from violence that once built a life in Leeds could now be treated as a crime.
Today, immigration, so-called illegal immigration, and asylum seeking dominate the news in both the UK and USA. The language is hard, the tone defensive, and the debate framed around borders, control, and deterrence. But it was very different for my grandparents.
Around 1890, they fled Poland and Russia after the pogroms. Like hundreds of thousands of other Jewish families, they were escaping violence, dispossession, and fear. They travelled by ship to Hull and then on to Leeds, where they settled. At almost the same time, other relatives made the journey to the United States, arriving via Ellis Island.
Looking back at those journeys is a useful antidote to today’s rhetoric, because it shows just how recently, and how easily, both Britain and the United States once accepted people in circumstances very similar to those we now debate so loudly.
Step 1: Departure
Britain (Hull → Leeds, c. 1890): My grandparents probably travelled by train or cart to a major European port such as Hamburg or Bremen and boarded a steamship in steerage. The journey took one to two weeks in cramped, basic conditions. The cost of a steerage ticket was usually around £3–£5 per adult, equivalent to a few hundred pounds today. Expensive for them, but manageable for a family willing to sell belongings or borrow from relatives. Most travellers carried almost no cash beyond what was needed for food and a few days after arrival.
Unlike my grandparents, who probably arrived in the UK with little more than a few coins and the support of family or community, many of today’s refugees are forced to pay exorbitant sums to people smugglers — often £5,000–£10,000 or more — just to try and cross borders.
Modern migrants risk their lives and entire savings for a dangerous, illegal journey. The contrast is stark: yesterday’s immigrants made do with almost nothing and were welcomed; today’s must pay dearly just to survive the voyage.
USA (Ellis Island → New York, c. 1892): Relatives heading for America made a similar journey to a European port before boarding a transatlantic steamship in steerage. Conditions were often worse on the longer Atlantic crossing, but the destination held the promise of permanence. Ship fares were comparable, and most arrivals carried only a few coins and some personal belongings.
Step 2: Arrival at Port – Medical Inspection
Britain: On arrival in Hull, immigrants underwent a basic medical inspection. Doctors looked for obvious signs of contagious disease such as cholera, typhus, or smallpox. Those who were seriously ill could be quarantined or refused entry, but most healthy adults and children were admitted without difficulty.
USA: At Ellis Island, medical inspection was far more systematic. Immigrants were given a rapid visual examination, the so-called “six-second physical”, to identify disease, disability, or signs of mental illness. Anyone suspected of a problem could be detained for further examination, quarantined, or deported.
Step 3: Arrival at Port – Customs and Immigration Interview
Britain: Immigration officers asked simple questions: where are you going, do you have family or contacts, and can you support yourself? The aim was largely to prevent people becoming a public charge. There were no visas, no quotas, and little paperwork.
USA: Legal inspection at Ellis Island was more formal. Officials asked about name, age, occupation, destination, relatives in the US, and financial means. Those judged likely to become a public charge, or who fell into exclusion categories, could be detained or sent back.
Step 4: Transit to Final Destination
Britain: From Hull, immigrants travelled by train to cities such as Leeds. Community contacts, letters from relatives, and Jewish charities often helped them complete the journey.
USA: From Ellis Island, immigrants travelled by ferry or train to New York neighbourhoods, most famously the Lower East Side, or onwards to other American cities.
First Days and Early Settlement
Britain: In Leeds, newly arrived families lived in overcrowded lodgings in established Jewish areas. Work was found in tailoring, shoemaking, peddling, market trading, or small workshops. Synagogues and charitable societies provided food, loans, and practical help.
USA: In New York, immigrants settled in dense tenement districts. Many worked long hours in garment factories or small trades. Mutual aid societies and community organisations helped newcomers find work, housing, and stability.
Social and Political Context
Britain: In 1890, Britain had no comprehensive immigration controls. Entry was relatively easy, but social tension was growing. Eastern European Jews were blamed by some for overcrowding, poverty, and job competition. These anxieties simmered for years before becoming law.
USA: The United States already had some restrictions. The Immigration Act of 1882 excluded criminals, paupers, and the mentally ill, while the Chinese Exclusion Act explicitly targeted one ethnic group. Even so, most Eastern European Jews were admitted if they passed inspection.
When Immigration Became Harder
For my grandparents, the window was still open but it did not stay that way.
In Britain, restriction began with the Aliens Act of 1905, which allowed officials to refuse entry to people deemed undesirable or unable to support themselves. Economic anxiety, antisemitism, and fears about urban overcrowding drove the change.
In the United States, the turning point came later. The Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924 introduced national origin quotas that drastically reduced immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe. These laws were explicitly designed to preserve a particular vision of national identity.
What Would My Grandparents’ Experience Be Today?
If my grandparents attempted the same journey today, their experience would be unrecognisable.
They would need passports, visas, and permission before travelling. Transport companies would refuse to carry them without the correct documents.
On arrival, they would be classed as asylum seekers. Their fate would depend on interviews, legal processes, and months or years of waiting. They might be housed temporarily, barred from working, and separated from community support while their case was decided.
The simple act of arriving, finding work, and settling in Leeds, what my grandparents actually did, would be impossible.
Final Thought
When politicians and commentators talk about “illegal immigrants” and “invasions”, they are not describing something new. They are rewriting history to exclude their own. If today’s laws had existed in 1890, my grandparents would never have been allowed to arrive, let alone settle, work, and build a life in Leeds. The same journeys now condemned as criminal are the ones that built Britain’s cities, industries, and communities.
The uncomfortable truth is this: modern immigration rhetoric does not defend national values, it denies them. And every time we forget that, we choose fear over memory and bureaucracy over humanity.
