By 1900, almost 30% of major city residents were foreign born. They fled from things such as famine, religious prosecution, or lack of opportunity. The tide of immigration rose to nearly 9 million in the first decade of the 20th. After 1890, 70% of the immigrants to the United States were Slavs and Jews from southern and eastern Europe. Ellis Island was a reception center where refugees, that couldn’t afford first- and second-class cabins, had to check in. In 1907, Ellis Island was receiving an average of 5000 immigrants a day. New immigrants knew little to no English, which made them targets for exploitation when it came to getting a job. They tended to migrate to neighborhoods of their kind, which caused older residents to move out.