Board of Special Inquiry Hearings

[Zengac]

Hello all. I have obtained several passengers for my immigrant ancestors and found that several of them were detained upon arrival at Ellis Island. They were all subsequently admitted (no deportations found so far!) after a hearing before the Board of Special Inquiry. Does anyone know if the transcripts of these hearings are still available and where I might inquire as to where to obtain a copy? Thanks in advance...

[Poipuo4]

I sent a Freedom of Information Request to Homeland Security to obtain these records. I am still waiting after 8 months! I did read that the only chance of these records existing is if there was an appeal. If so, the records would have been sent to Washington, D.C./the national archives. My grandmother's case was appealed, so that is why I am hoping that there will be a chance that these exist. If you look at the grid on the manifest, you will see marking with the page numbers for the transcript, the date of the hearing and the initials of the secretary. Make sure to include those in your FOIA request. I am eager to hear if anyone else has had success with this.

[Zengac]

Thanks for such a quick reply! That is what I understand also, that unless an appeal was filed, it is unlikely that I will be able to obtain copies of the transcripts. Good luck with your request!