Speaker. I have today introduced a bill which provides for the establishment of the Ellis Island National Historic Site. Among the many symbols of our immigrant heritage. one stands out in prominence. Ellis Island was for 62 years the gateway to America. Between 1892. when it was first opened to receive them. and 1954. when its closing marked the end of an era. Ellis Island was the threshold of a new life for more than 20 million people. Originally a picnic spot for Dutch colonists. it was pressed into service as a processing station for immigrants when existing facilities proved too small. Yet frequently the island. only 27/2 acres in size. was itself not large enough to comfortably accommodate the multitude who passed through it. Conditions were not always pleasant in that unfamiliar place whose people then faced an uncertain future.
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