This historic piece of Federal propertyonce of great use. now of no usehas been since 1954 merely a drain of $100.000 a year to the American taxpayer. The first public use of Ellis Island was in defending the port of New York. The second was in admitting 20 million immigrants to this country through that port. Ellis Island was ceded by the State of New York to the U.S. Government in 1808. and until 1861 remained a harbor defense installation of the Army known as Fort Gibson. Further quasimilitary uses continued until its formal opening in 1892 as an immigration station. The new activity was matched by extensive operations on the island: The construction of 35 buildings at a cost of nearly $612 million. the increase in area of the original island by earthen fill and bulkhead construction from its original 3 acres. residually New York property. to 271/2 acres. The 24 differential acres puzzle the task of redesignating this property to private use because these were never New York property. but. as subaqueous territory. pertained to the jurisdiction of New Jersey. A private Ellis Island would create a knotty problem in interstate jurisdiction. New immigration policies terminated the old function of the island. On October 15. 1954. the Department of Justice declared this property to be "in excess of the needs of the United States"--that is. useless. Since this date. the story of efforts to dispose of the island or find use for it is one of dilatoriness and confusion. set in a framework of considerable annual expenditure on maintenance to merely negative effect.
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immigration immigrants