Today in History: Ellis Island Closed

This day in history Ellis Island closed its doors in 1954. Through this passage, somewhere between 15 and 20 million people were admitted into America by way of the sea. Lending to this country's rich and diverse culture... a true melting pot.

BBC described the new immigration policy after Ellis Island’s closure as “would-be US citizens will be free to enter the country without inspection on arrival.” Clearly this policy is not the current standard... For more information on current immigration policy visit the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services website: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis.

In 1961 the site was put up for auction, but with no hefty offers it was declared a national monument by President Lyndon Johnson. Since becoming a national monument, Ellis Island has become a popular New York tourist attraction that tourists (like me, thank you Mom & Dad) and non-tourists still visit today.


Photo Credit: Jeff_B on flickr.com