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Generally, those immigrants who were approved spent from two to five hours
at Ellis Island. Arrivals were asked 29 questions including name,
occupation, and the amount of money carried. Those with visible health
problems or diseases were sent home or held in the island's hospital
facilities for long periods of time. More than three thousand would-be
immigrants died on Ellis Island while being held in the hospital facilities.
Some unskilled workers were rejected because they were considered "likely to
become a public charge." About 2 percent were denied admission to the U.S.
and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as having a
chronic contagious disease, criminal background, or insanity
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