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Your immigrant ancestors came here legally? Are you sure?

"If you know what ship a person came on, and the port they entered, you could probably figure out if they entered legally," said University of Pennsylvania political science professor Michael Jones-Correa, a researcher and writer on immigration. "But what legally meant was very different at the turn of the last century, compared to what it means now."

Immigrants arrive for  inspection at Ellis Island in the early 1900s
Immigrants arrive for inspection at Ellis Island in the early 1900sRead moreNational Park Service