Because it was a poor area where it was difficult to make a living.
Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe who formed a recognizable wave of immigration from the 1880s until 1924, in contrast to the wave of immigrants from western Europe who had come before them. These new immigrants congregated in ethnic urban neighborhoods, where they worried many native-born Americans, some of whom responded with nativist anti-immigrant campaigns and others of whom introduced urban reforms to help immigrants assimilate.
APEX- there were more immigrants from eastern Europe
The number of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe began to increase significantly in America around the 1880s. This wave of immigration continued into the early 20th century, with millions arriving in search of better economic opportunities and escaping political turmoil. By the early 1900s, these groups represented a substantial portion of the immigrant population in the United States.
The Chinese
germans
The development that caused large numbers of Jews to immigrate to the US in the 1880s was the rise of anti-Semitism and violence in Eastern Europe, particularly in the region known as the Pale of Settlement. Pogroms, which were organized attacks against Jewish communities, led to increased persecution and insecurity, prompting many Jews to seek safety and better opportunities in the US.
Ellis Island was the main federal Immigration station for the United States. Generally, all groups of immigrants arriving by boat would have been processed here in the 1880s.
By the end of the 1880's most of the immigrants to the United States were coming from Europe. An equal number were also coming from Asia to work on the railroads in the West. Europeans came here to either work in the factories or farm the land.
Lots of sex.
American Protective Association
1880s
Chinese Railroad men