The Immigrant Amazigh Actor in NYC in 1913
USA at the turn of 20th century has seen a great wave of immigrants mostly of Europeans origins. The official documentation of new arrivals was often conducted at the port of entry assisted with photographs. Today these photos are a treasure for historians looking into the source of immigration and the details and stories about these immigrants. Among these, is a story about a non-European immigrant from Morocco arriving to New York in 1913.
Source: National Park Service.
In the photo above, the portrait of the immigrant named Haroun Riffi Ben Mohamed holds his identification tag; it lists his name along with information about the ship. The immigrant is described in this article as being an actor performing circus acrobatics. It is unknown if Haroun has settled down in the USA. It is however expected that he has returned to Morocco after the expiry of his temporary work contract.
Original article by Louis Takács: https://scalar.usc.edu/works/let-me-get-there/north-african-immigrant-1913