Despite the poem, Ellis Island has always turned away individuals with known criminal records (although a 'known' record was much rarer at the time) and anyone

Despite the poem, Ellis Island has always turned away individuals with known criminal records (although a 'known' record was much rarer at the time) and anyone they thought was likely to become a public charge. Our immigration policy in the previous 4 years was actually significantly more permissive than when that poem was put on that statue.