Mr. Speaker. today I have introduced a bill to establish Ellis Island as a national shrine to be administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Such a shrine would contain exhibits of early immigrant life and complete microfilm records of all immigrants. The Statue of Liberty ferry from the New York City Battery could be rerouted to include a stop at Ellis Island. Ellis Island was the port of entry for more than 10 million immigrants whose descendants today number at least onetenth of our present population. To these millions of Americans Ellis Island is their Plymouth Rock. Establishment of Ellis Island as a national shrine will forever complement the Statue of Liberty.
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immigrant immigrants