Newspaper graphic, 1897
Hardly any other place is as associated with immigration to the USA as Ellis Island. The immigration station on the small island represented the last hurdle on the way to a new life. Between 1892 and 1924, around twelve million immigrants passed through the station – and a few hundred thousand more until its closure. For decades, Ellis Island was a crucial point for millions of migration stories. On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island, the largest immigration station in the USA, was opened. Ships initially docked upon their arrival in New York at the piers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Hoboken, depending on the shipping company. Passengers in first and second class were processed directly on board and could leave the ship after a brief medical examination, provided their papers were in order. However, third-class passengers were taken by smaller boats to Ellis Island, where medical examinations and official interviews determined their entry or rejection. On June 15, 1897, work at Ellis Island was interrupted by a major fire, and processing of immigration formalities had to be temporarily relocated to the mainland. On December 17, 1900, the station on Ellis Island was reopened, now equipped with fireproof buildings. The U.S. Immigration Quota Act of 1924 not only reduced the number of immigrants again but also changed the procedures. The examination of immigrants now took place in their respective home countries by employees of the American consulates. As a result, the function of Ellis Island changed. Only if there were problems with the papers, the immigration status was questionable, or medical treatment was necessary did they come to Ellis Island. Fewer and fewer new immigrants reached the island. Work at Ellis Island was also affected during both World Wars when the immigration station was temporarily converted into an internment camp and hospital. In November 1954, the facility was permanently closed. On September 10, 1990, the ‘Ellis Island Immigration Museum’ was opened here.
