Ellis Island, the gateway for millions of Jewish immigrants entering the United States, may shortly be abandoned, it was indicated today by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The service is considering giving up the station on Ellis Island which has processed millions of immigrants since it became the most important immigrant entrance or departure station in 1892. It its hey-day, the Ellis Island station processed up to 5,000 immigrants daily. Now it rarely houses more than a few hundred persons at a time. As a result, the authorities are looking for a center which would be more economical to maintain.
A picnic area in Colonial times, the island passed into the hands of Samuel Ellis, from whom it takes its name, and was later acquired by the State of New York. In 1808, the state ceded it to the Federal Government for an arsenal and the island has since served in that capacity, as an immigrant processing center and as a base for Coast Guard port security forces.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
