„Bogaci czy biedni, ta ziemia jest przed nimi zamknięta”. Serbscy Cyganie Augustusa Shermana i migracja Romów do USA na początku XX wieku

The extended Estevanovich family—likely Macvaya Roma originating from Serbia – arrived at Ellis Island from Buenos Aires on July 23, 1904. This group of 20, already possessing a highly developed transnational mobility skill set, intended to join relatives in St. Louis. Instead, upon landing, they were immediately detained and summarily declared a „Likely Public Charge”. Despite hiring legal counsel, presenting testimonies, and filing formal appeals, they could not overcome the discriminatory, unwritten practices that singled out Roma for exclusion. After over ten weeks in detention, the entire group was deported back to South America. During their confinement, Augustus Sherman, an Ellis Island official, captured several portraits of the family. His famous Servian Gypsies photograph serves as the starting point for this article’s deeper examination of early twentieth-century transatlantic Roma migration.