Misleading Data on Passenger Lists as a Consequence of Restrictive American Migration Legislation

The article focuses on American travel and migration legislation in the years 1893, 1903 and 1907, which were intended to manage immigration to the USA. Efforts to limit immigration were based on the criteria of the usefulness of or the potential threat posed by immigrants. The article shows that the data provided in the passenger lists were not credible in all cases, since the desire of both immigrants and steamship companies to enter the USA was much stronger than the fear of being refused.
KEY WORDS: migration legislation, steamship company, passenger list, data fraud, USA