Until such a bridge or causeway is built. access will be provided by boat from Battery Park at the tip of Manhattanthe same kind of service that is now available for Liberty Island. Clearly. the inclusion of Ellis Island in the National Park system will complement and augment the facilities on Liberty Island and allev!ate the overcrowded conditions there. As President Kennedy remarked. the United States is. except for our Indian citizens. "a nation of immigrants." The proposed development of Ellis Island would not only serve to remind present and future generations of Americans of our origins. it would honor the Immigrants. both living and dead. who brought so much to our land and have .16376 made such significant contributions to our national development. Although Ellis Island will no longer be used as an immigration station. its development as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument will serve as a symbol of the fact that the United States of America remains a haven for the oppressed. for those who seek a better life on our shores. It is my hope that at this same session of Congress. in which I trust this memorial will be authorized. our immigration laws will be substantially revised so as to eliminate the outdated and discriminatory national origins quota system and thus to give greater reality to the words of Emma Lazarus famous poem on the Statue of Liberty. In addition. and in a very practical way. Ellis Island will add a new dimension to the recreational use of New York Harbor. one of the most dramatic and beautiful harbors in the world.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants national origins quota Immigrants