This thesis examines press framing of immigrant issues and epidemics in newspapers and periodicals, 1891 to 1893. During these years, immigration policies became more restrictive because of the Immigration Act of 1891, the opening of Ellis Island in 1892, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1892, the New York City epidemics of 1892, the National Quarantine Act of 1893, and the nativist movement. Framing theory guided the following research questions: 1) How did articles in newspapers and periodicals frame immigrants and immigration issues in the context of epidemics from 1891 and 1893?; and 2) How did the press framing of immigrants and immigration issues in the context of epidemics from 1891 to 1893 reflect themes of nativism? This thesis contributes to the discourse about immigration because many Americans historically have learned about immigration issues from the press.