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1800 A.D. to Present
History
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Irish immigrants debark at New York in 1847. The round building on the left is Castle Garden. Painting is by Samuel B. Waugh

Chronology of U.S.A. Immigration, Legislation (to 1978)
and the
Ellis Island Immigration Station

From 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants entered the United States through the portal of Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is located in the upper bay just off the New Jersey coast, within the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. Through the years, this gateway to the new world was enlarged from its original 3.3 acres to 27.5 acres mostly by landfill obtained from ship ballast and possibly excess earth from the construction of the New York City subway system.

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson declared Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Ellis Island was opened to the public on a limited basis between 1976 and 1984. Starting in 1984, Ellis Island underwent a major restoration, the largest historic restoration in U.S. history.  The $160 million dollar project was funded by donations made to the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the National Park Service.  The Main Building was reopened to the public on September 10, 1990 as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.  Today, the museum receives almost 2 million visitors annually.

What follows is a chronology of immigration, legislation and of the Ellis Island Immigration Station during the 19th and 20th centuries (currently only up to 1978).
1798 — Unsuccessful Irish rebellion; rebels immigrated to U.S. along with distressed artisans and farmers depressed by bad harvests and low prices.

— Alien and Sedition Acts gave President arbitrary powers to seize and expel resident aliens suspected of engaging in sub versive activities. Though never invoked, Acts induced several shiploads of Frenchmen to return to France and Santo Domingo.
1803

— Resumption of war between England and France. Disruption of trade; immigration from continental Europe practically impossible

— British Passenger Act limits numbers to be carried by immigrant ships, which effectively checked Irish immigration.
1807 — Congress prohibited importing Negro slaves into the U.S.
1812 — War of 1812 brought immigration to complete halt.
1814

— Treaty of Ghent ended War of 1812. First great wave of immigration began, with 5,000,000 immigrants between 1815 and 1860.
1818 — Black Ball Line of sailing packets began regular Liverpool-New York service; Liverpool became main port of departure for Irish and British along with considerable numbers of Germans and Norwegians.
1825 — Great Britain repealed prohibition of immigration, an official endorsement of view that England had become overpopulated.

— U.S. arrival of first group of Norwegian immigrants, consisting of freeholders leaving an overpopulated country and shrunken farms; followed by cotters, laborers and servants.
1830 — Polish revolution spurred refuge to the U.S.; Congress allotted thirty-six sections of public land in Illinois to Polish refugees.
1837 — Financial panic led to nativist complaints that immigration lowers wage levels, contributes to the decline of the apprenticeship system and generally depresses the condition of labor.
1840 — Cunard Line founded, beginning the era of steamship lines especially designed for passenger transportation between Europe and the United States.
1846 — Crop failures in Germany and Holland sent tens of thousands of dispossessed immigrating to U.S.
1846-47 — Irish potato famine caused large-scale immigration to U.S. of all classes of Irish population, not only cotters and laborers, but even substantial farmers.
1848 — Revolution in Germany failed, resulting in immigration of political refugees to America.
1850 — Immigration through the New York harbor reached proportions demanding a centralized receiving station. Disembarking from 1,912 ships, 212,796 newcomers arrived.

August 1, 1855 — Castle Garden on the Battery at the tip of Manhattan officially opened as first U.S. receiving station for immigrants arriving through the nation's principal port of entry at New York City. Site of the former Castle Clinton of the War of 1812, Castle Garden had just five years previously been a theatre housing a record turnout for singer Jenny Lind's triumphant American debut.
1881 — Over 455,600 immigrants passed through Castle Garden, more than double the past average annual rate, and increasing to 476,000 the following year.
1882 — First Federal immigration law enacted, barring lunatics, convicts and those likely to become public charges.

— Chinese Exclusion Act denies entry to Chinese laborers.

— Outbreak of anti-semitism in Russia spurred sharp rise in Jewish immigration to the U.S.
1885 — Foran Act prohibited importing contract labor, but not skilled labor for new industries, artists, actors, lecturers, domestic servants; individuals in U.S. not to be prohibited from assisting immigration of relatives and friends.

1886

 		— Statue of Liberty dedicated, just when resistance to unrestricted immigration was accelerating.
1887 — Investigations by Congress and the Department of Treasury found Castle Garden's facilities hopelessly inadequate for daily flow of immigration.
1890

— Federal government assumed full control of immigration for previous state-contracted management of New York Port.

— Ellis Island chosen as new site for Federal immigration station in New York harbor. Simultaneously, Congress responded to recent public pressure to remove Navy explosives from the site.

— Temporary immigration processing established at the Barge Office (Custom Station) as construction underway at Ellis Island.

Early History of Ellis Island Prior to Use as Immigration Station

As one of the islets off the New Jersey shore in the Upper New York Bay, the group were often called the Oyster Islands due to the  rich and abundant oyster beds and plentiful and profitable shad runs for many generations during the Dutch and English colonial periods. By the time Samuel Ellis became the island's last private owner in the 1770's, the island had been called Kioshk, Oyster, Dyre, Bucking and Anderson's Island. In this way, Ellis Island developed from a sandy island that barely rose above the high tide mark, into a hanging site for pirates, a harbor fort, ammunition and ordinance depot named Fort Gibson, and finally into an immigration station.The largest was Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island). The three-acre island now called Ellis was purchased from the Indians by the Dutch in 1630 to reward Michael Paw for ship trade profits. Variously known as "Kioshk" (Gull Island) to the Indians, Dyra's or Bucking Island in the late 1600's and early 1700's, and Cibbet or Anderson's Island in the latter 1700's due to hangings of traitors there, its present is derived from its owner in 1785, Samuel Ellis.

During 1794 a serious threat of war forced the State of New York to secure Ellis Island as part of a harbor fortification system. Earthworks were built on the Island after Britain interfered with American trade in the French West Indies. These earthworks included Fort Wood on Bedloe's Island, Castle Williams and Fort Columbus on Governor's Island and the West Battery at the tip of Manhattan (now Castle Clinton National Monument). Built under the direction of Colonel Jonathan Williams, these fortifications presented a formidable obstacle to naval attack. As a result, the British fleet never attempted an assault on New York City.

In 1808, when Colonel Williams planned the garrison on Ellis Island, named Fort Gibson, the State of New York purchased the land from the heirs of Samuel Ellis by condemnation procedures and turned it over to the Federal Government. By interstate agreement in 1834, Ellis Island and the somewhat larger Bedloe's Island were declared part of New York State although both islands were on the New Jersey side of the main ship channel. In 1861, as the Civil War began, Fort Gibson was dismantled and a naval magazine established on Ellis Island. the Federal Government assumed responsibility for the reception of immigrants in 1890, a study of the New York Harbor was made to determine the best location for an immigrant depot, to replace Castle Garden. Governor's and Bedloe's Islands were considered, however, the Army wanted to maintain control of the important headquarters buildings on Governor's Island and the people of New York City objected to the station being built on Bedloe's Island the Statue of Liberty had been dedicated only a few years previously.

1891 — New legislation placed all national Immigration under full Federal control, creating the Bureau of Immigration under the Department of the Treasury. Office of Commissioner of Immigration established at New York Port, with Colonel John Weber the first appointee.

— Legislation added health requirements to immigration restrictions.

— Russian pogroms spurred large volume  of Jewish immigration.

January 1, 1892 — Immigration through the Barge Office totalled 405,664, eighty percent of the national total.

— Ellis Island Immigration Center formally opened to process steerage passengers; first and second cabin passengers processed on board and directly disembarked in Manhattan. An Irish girl named Annie Moore became the first person to be processed at Ellis Island. The day also happened to be her fifteenth birthday. She had arrived in New York on the steamship Nevada with her two younger brothers. She was presented with a ten dollar gold piece. Approximately 12 million people followed her over the next 32 years.

— At a cost of $500,000, the new immigration station consisted of a large two-story processing building, separate hospital facilities, a boiler house, laundry and utility plant, all constructed wholly of wood. In addition, the old brick and stone Fort Gibson and Navy magazines were converted for detainees' dormitories and other purposes. Added landfill approximately doubled the original 3.3 acre island.
1892 — Immigration through the New York port totalled 445,987, with a shift from northern and western Europeans to southern and eastern Europeans becoming evident.
1893 — Dr. Joseph Senner, an educated German Austrian who had been with 1eading German language newspapers in the U.S., named new Commissioner of Immigration under President Cleveland.

— Legislation enacted requiring shipowners to prepare manifests carrying detailed informat ion on individual immigrant passengers.

— U.S. Supreme Court upheld Boards of Inquiry rather than courts of law to rule on deportation of alleged illegal entries, under regulations established by the Secretary of the Treasury authorized by the law of 1882.

— Cholera epidemie and national economic depression resu1t in immigration decrease, to continue for several years. [See "The National Quarantine", published in Harper's Weekly, 26 August 1893.]

Under the laws of 1891 and 1893, which provided the basic procedure for a generation, the admissibility of an alien on arrival was determined by a medical examination, an interrogation by an immigration inspector, and the consideration of any information furnished by the medical examiner. Doctors quickly examined each immigrant and scrawled a white chalkmark on those with possible heart trouble, lameness, mental defects, rashes or trachoma. More detailed examination followed for detection of signs of tubereulosis, leprosy, or favus, a eontagious skin disease. Immigrants with these suspected inflictions were detained for further examination. Inspectors then interrogated each immigrant to verify the twenty-nine bits of information provided on the ships manifest: "What work do you do?" "Do you have a job waiting for you?" "Who paid for you; passage here?" "Is anyone meeting you?" "Where are you going?" "Can you read and write?" "Have you even been in prison?" "How much money do you have" "Show it to me now." "Where did you get it?"

The immigrant was admitted if, in the opinion of the inspector, he or she was clearly and beyond doubt entitled to land. If not, the law required that he or she be held for investigation by a board of special inquiry. Adverse decision of this board meant deportation, but appeal was a1lowed through the commissioner to the Secretary of the Treasury, whose decision was to be final. Deportation was legally considered not a punishment for crime but merely an administrative proeess for the return of unweleome and undesirable aliens to their own countries.
1894 — Immigration Restriction League organized to be the spearhead of restrictionist movement for the next twenty-five years favoring the "old" (northern and western European) over the (southern and eastern European) immigrants.

1896

 		— Italian immigration sharply increased, accompanied by public disfavor previously vented against the Italian influx during the 1940's.

1897

 		— Literacy test for immigrants, aimed at restricting Italian influx, vetoed by President Cleveland. [See: "The Influx of Italians", The New York Times, December 8, 1897.]
June 14, 1897 — Fire destroyed Ellis Island's wooden buildings, along with immigration records dating from 1855-1890 housed in old Navy magazine. All immigrants and staff safely evacuated. Immigration process ing temporarily transferred back to Barge Office. Commissioner Senner replaced by Thomas Fitchie, and Terence Powderly, former chief of Knights of Labor, named Commissioner-General of Immigration in Washington. Both strong supporters of President McKinley, but a feud evolved, and Powderly influenced Congress to legislate tightened contract labor restrictions.
1897-98 — Congress authorized funds for new fire-proof facilities at Ellis Island, awardin g the contract to Boring and Tilton, the first important Government architecture to be designed by private architects under competition mandated by the Tarnsey Act of 1875.
1898 — U.S. immigration reached low point of 229,299, with New York port's share only 178,748, the result of years of national economic depression. Immigration officials mistakenly estimate that no more than 500,000 immigrants would ever again arrive in New York in one year and architects proceed under that miscalculated projection.
1899 — Serious scandals of graft and brutality among immigration inspectors spurred Federal investigation revealing these practices at the Barge Office. Only minimal corrective measures taken in anticipation that Ellis Island reopening would rectify conditions.
December 17, 1900 — New Ellis Island Immigration Station opened, with a total of 2,251 immigrants received for inspection that day. At a cost of some $1.5 million the new complex, unlike the former station, was situated to retain some green space and show to best advantage to approaching ships.
The main building was in the Island's center, of material laid in Flemish bond with limestone trim. The largest roon in the Building was the registry or examination hall on the second floor, 200-feet long, ??feet-wide and, 56-feet high, with most floor space divided into twelve narrow alleys. It was calculated that 5,000 immigrants per day could be given both medical and legal examinations to determine their right to entry. An observation gallery at the third floor level surrounded this room for visitors viewing. Two dormitories with a 600-person sleeping capacity opened off the gallary. Also on the second floor were telegraph and railroad office rooms for the boards of special inquiry and a dormitory for detainees. The first floor accommodated administrative offices, baggage room, and a large railroad waiting room. North of the main building were a large restaurant and laundry building, with a bathhouse capable of showering 8,000 immigrants per day, and a powerhouse. Construction was also underway, to be completed in 1902, for a hospital and two auxiliary laundry and administrative buildings. These were located on Island No. 2, across the ferry slip, somewhat enlarged by additional landfill.
1901-2 — Theodore Roosevelt, on assuming the presidency, immediately focused on "cleaning house" at Ellis Island following exposure of several scandals under the Powderly-Fitchie-McSweeney administration.
1902 — William Williams, respected young lawyer, named new Commissioner of Immigration at New York Port and immediately instituted procedures to ensure efficient, honest and sanitary treatment of immigrants.

— Hospital Building and auxiliary laundry and other facilities opened.

— Commissioner Williams appeals to Congress for funds to expand the critically overcrowded facilities, inadequate to handle the immigrants since the opening of the new station.

Among the flagrant abuses of immigrants at Ellis Island was the practice of detailing unqualified persons to inspect Immigrants, the inspectors signing blank detention cards and handing them to Interpreters or even laborers, who made the actual inspections. The chief inspector was in the habit of arbitrarily marking "Hold" against the names of selected immigrants on the ships' manifests. Most of them so marked were known to have had substantial amounts of money.

Fraudulent American citizens' certificates were supplied to the immigrants for a fee, which was split between ships' officers and immigration boarding inspectors. Inspectors were known to intimidate immigrants that difficulty in being admitted may be experienced, which could be avoided by money judiciously placed. Pretty girls were sometimes promised quick processing by inspectors if a later meeting at a hotel could be arranged.

Immigrants were hustled about and addressed in rough language. The detained were in filthy condition. In the dining room, the floor was covered with grease, bones, and other remnants of food for days at a time. Concessioner awards for money exchange, food and baggage services had been contracted to politically deserving Republicans, who found then highly profitable. The food concessioner employees compelled immigrants to buy exorbitantly priced bags of food, even when they were bound for New York rather than distant locations by rail. Immigrants frequently were required to perform kitchen duties; a sick immigrant was found peeling potatoes. At the money exchange concession, immigrants were often robbed of their money or given much less than the value of their foreign currency. Railroad ticket sellers often charged uninformed immigrants for unneeded circutuous routes to their destinations.

Violations of the law requiring that all aliens appear on the ships' manifests had been constant. Some steamship companies had been bringing in cases of contagious diseases, while easily detected, also easily contracted by other immigrants. Boards of inquiry, by statute independent tribunals, frequently rendered decisions including admission of many immigrants certified by the medical staff as incapacitated. Some officials themselves examined detained immigrants and discharged them or put them back in detention, bypassing the boards of inquiry. Detained immigrants and their friends were kept in unnecessary suspense since the information bureau often did not receive results of hearings until 24 hours after decisions. Deportation papers were made out clumsily and at an enormous waste of time.
1903 — Immigration control transferred to newly established Department of Commerce and Labor, immigration having become considered an addition to the labor force rather than a species of import when control had originally been placed under Treasury Department.

— New legislation denied entry to anarchists and prostitutes; required examination of discharged alien seamen to be brought to Ellis Island; and imposed a $100 fine on steamship companies bringing in immigrants with loathsome or contagious diseases. Iron and glass canopy constructed over walkway from dock to main hall

— On one day, 12,600 immigrants arrived at New York Port, with nearly half required to remain in steerage for several days due to inadequate facilities to process all in a day or provide overnight quarters at Ellis Island. This came to be a common occurrence over the next several years.
1904

— New 160-foot "Ellis Island" ferry completed, with a capacity for 600. Steerage immigrants transported to Ellis from docks at the Battery by barges and tugs provided by steamship companies; when cleared for admission, new ferry ran them hourly to their "new land" at N.Y.

— Sanitary immigrants' dining room installed a site previously used for detainees.

— Portion of roof garden on main hall converted to play area for detained children.

— Question of title to Ellis Island settled when New Jersey Riparian Commission favorably ruled on Federal application to enlarge Ellis Island and conveyed to the U.S. by deed approximately 48 acres surrounding and including the original Island and area already landfilled.
Photograph of Ellis Island, New York, 1905.

Ellis Island, Immigrant Landing Station, NY, circa 1905 [This picture is from: Selected Images of Ellis Island & Immigration, ca. 1880-1920, from the Prints & Photographs Division of the Library of Congress]
1905

— Commissioner Williams resigned to return to law practice, replaced by Robert Watchorn, a career Immigration Service official. While Williams shared the common growing attitude that immigration should be restricted in quantity and quality, Watchorn favored admitting all immigrants meeting legal requirements.

— 821,169 immigrants processed at Ellis Island, with many logistical problems regarding numerous detainees frequently required to remain for several days.

— Japanese and Korean Exclusion League formed by organized labor in protest against influx of coolie labor and fear of threat to living standards of American working class.
1906 — Island No. 3 landfill of approximately four acres completed for construction of contagious disease hospital group. Changes initiated for more efficient medical examinations, including separate mental ward provided in hospital.
1907

 — Climax of immigration, with 1,004,756 received at Ellis Island. On April 17 alone, 11,747 immigrants passed through the station, an all time high. Detained immigrants totalled 195,540. Facilities proven inadequate since original construction in 1900 now critically under required capacity.

— New Immigrat ion law not only excludes prostitu tes, but made them deportab le for three years after arrival.

1907-8  — Gentlemen' s Agreement established, with Japanese Government denying passports to laborers immigrating to U.S.; failed to satisfy West Coast exclusionists.
1908

— Baggage and dormitory build ingon Islan d No. 1 completed.

— Twelve buildings of  contagious disease hospital group completed, with construction of five others underway on Island No .3.

— N ew hospi tal and admin istra tion build ings on Islan d No. 2 compl eted.

— Kitchen and laundry building on Island No. 1 remodeled: entire upper floor converted to large dining room accommodating 1,000 at one sitting, with tile installed on walls and floors for better sanitary conditions; first floor laid with sanitary cement and improved laundry machinery installed.

— Main building altered: former two large dormitories divided into small rooms each with a 50-person capacity and new system of beds installed; sanitary plumbing installed and ventilating apparatus allowing continuous air circulation in each room; additional dormitories constructed at ends of balcony; corridors on both second and third floors tiled; skylights installed for improved lighting and ventilation.

1909

— William Williams returned for second term as Commissioner at urging of President Taft.

— Following a sharp falloff in 1908, immigration again rising.
1910 — Contributions of the immigrants to date to the American working force clearly significant during th era of the industrializing, urbanizing nation.
1911 — Greatest number of exclusions to date, 13,000 immigrants of the 650,000 arrivals at Ellis Island deported.

— Contagious disease hospital group opened for use, having been delayed for two years due to lack of furnishings and lighting facilities. For the first time, all sick immigrants could be cared for on Ellis Island.

— Third story to the west (north) wing of main building completed, providing day quarters for detainees and administrative space.

— Medical offices moved from main floor to larger space on lower floor of main building; entire main floor now used for inspection of immigrants.

— Old stairway through large opening in middle of main floor removed and replaced with one beneath gallery, Increasing capacity of floor space for inspection.

— Iron railways dividing main floor into passageways removed and replaced with simple, comfortable benches.

— Information office space quadrupled by combining several small rooms; new area tiled and wainscoted; new stairway constructed from office to immigrants' dining room, reducing distance travelled by several hundred immigrants three times daily by four-fifths.

— Unsightly temporary wooden barracks and debris removed from Island No. 1's north side and ground graded.
1913 — California legislature passed Alien Land Law, effectively barring Japanese, as "aliens ineligible for citizenship," from owning agricultural land in the state.
1913-14 — Third story added to baggage and dormitory building, providing more and better ventilated dormitory space, separate day rooms, and large open-air porches.

— Connecting corridor in contagious disease hospital group enclosed in glass and copper. Additional electric tie lines connecting the Island No. 3 complex with main power plant installed.

— Old hospital building on Island No. 2 renovated, with new floors and modern sanitary plumbing Installed.

— Construction of new fireproof carpenter and bakery shop underway.

— Third story on east (south) wing of main building completed, providing needed space for medical inspection.

— First section of new concrete, granite-faced seawall completed, replacing a portion of rapidly decaying old cribwork.

1914-18 — World War I ended period of mass migration to the U.S.

1914: 1,218, 480 total U.S. immigration; 878,05 2 through New York Port 1915: 326,70 0 admitted, 178,41 6 through New York Port (75% decrease) 1918: Only 28,867 immigr ants entere d New York Port.
1914 — Frederic C. Howe, well-known municipal reformer, named new Commissioner of Immigration at New York Port just after war erupted.
Bowe sought to make life a little less grim for detainees. This process began with the simple steps of taking benches out of storage, placing them on the lawn, and allowing detainees out of doors. Next followed an outdoor playground for children, and a teacher to direct it. Inside the detention quarters he broke a doorvay through the wall separating husbands and wives and made it possible for them to see each other at other than mealtimes. Cheap sewing materials were provided for the women, toys for the children, and foreign newspapers distributed. Swings were set up on the piazza. There were handball courts and other recreational facilities for the detainees. The main examination hall was made more attractive by placing plants in the windows, hanging historical pictures on the pillars, and draping large American flags from the balcony. Sunday afternoon band concerts were held in the main examination room or outdoors. Complaint and suggestion boxes were placed in various sites. The staff had been organized on a "democratic basis," each division sending a delegation to a weekly staff meeting to discuss suggestions.
July 30, 1916 — Explosions by German saboteurs at nearby Black Tom Wharf severely damanged Ellis Island Station. Safe evacuation of all 600 occupants on the island accomplishe d. Extensive repairs required.
1917 — Literacy test for immigrants adopted, after being defeated in seven previous proposals from 1896 through 1915. Passed over veto of President Wilson, it repealed all prior legislation inconsistent with it, codified previous provisions for exclusions and added new categories now totalling thirty- three; also mandated medical examination by Ellis Island staff on board all arriving vessels of alien members of ship crews.

— U.S. entered war. German merchant ship crews in New York Harbor held at Ellis Island in baggage and dormitory building. Numerous suspected enemy aliens throughout the U.S. brought to Ellis under custody.
1918 — Repairs of Black Tom explosion damage and other improvement s accomplishe d: New ceiling over main registry floor constructed in form and a Gustavino arch and augmented by red-tile floor replacing old worn asphalt; concrete walk laid back of granite-faced seawall, eliminating hazard of badly-rotted plank walk; second section of new seawall completed on ferry basin's south side; metal-covered concrete pipe tunnel installed between power plant and baggage/dormitory building; water pipes replaced in main hall and several other facilities; new boilers for power plant installed.
1918-19

— Suspected enemy aliens detained transferred to other locations and U.S. Army Medical Department and U.S. Navy take over main hall, baggage/dormitory building and hospital complex for duration of war. Regular inspection of arriving aliens conducted on board ship or at docks.

— Covered way between Islands 2 and 3 constructed by U.S. Army.
1919 — Close of war accompanied by "Big Red Scare," with anti-foreign fears and hatreds transferred from German Americans to suspected alien anarchists.

— Thousands of suspected alien radicals interned at Ellis Island; hundreds deported under new legislation based on principal of guilt by association with any organization advocating revolt.

— Commissioner Howe resigned, following his thwarted efforts to mitigate internment and deportation of often innocent suspected alien radicals.

1920 — Ellis Island Station reopened for immigration inspection, while continuing to function as a deportation center.

— Immigration took a noticeable upturn, with 225,206 aliens admitted through New York.

— Facilities at Ellis in disrepair, following hard use during war.

— Frederick Wallis appointed Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island; his proposal for a rehabilitation program was ignored by Congress.

— The only improvements were accomplishment of much of the concrete and granite seawall, with professional praise attributed its unique engineering. Landfill between Islands 2 and 3 had begun. However, substantial portions of old cribbing seawall remained in steady decay until work was renewed and completed in 1933.

1921 — Immigration rose to nearly pre-war proportions; 560,971 immigrants passed through the New York Port of a national total of 805,228.

— Emergency immigration restriction law introduced the quota system, heavily weighted in favor of natives of Northern and Western Europe. The act provided that the number of any given European nation's immigrants to the U.S. annually could not exceed three percent of foreign-born persons from that nation living In the U.S. in 1910, An annual total of admissible immigrants was set at 358,000, with not more than twenty percent of the quota to be received in any given month.

— Steamship companies rushed to land each month's quota of immigrants in keen competition, overloading the processing capacities of Ellis Island.

— Commissioner Wallis resigned in despair over the quota restrictions, replaced by Robert Tod, a banker and philanthropist.
1921-23

— Commissioner Tod managed some improvements with very limited funds, but resigned in frustration; replaced by Henry Curran, long experienced in New York City Republican politics.

— Steamship companies found steerage no longer profitable and new liners were designed instead with comfortable third class cabins, marking the passage of the steerage era.

1924 — National Origins Act (or the Second Quota Law) further restricted immigration, changing the quota basis from the census of 1910 to that of 1890, and reducing annual quota immigration to 164,000.

— Act further required selection and qualification of quota immigrants at countries of origin, with inspections conducted by staff of U.S. consuls in Europe. Ellis Island no longer used for primary inspection of immigrants. Prospective immigrants were pre-inspected at US embassies overseas. They were inspected again at the port of arrival before leaving the ship.

1929 — National Origins Act amended, with new quotas based on 1920 census, and the maximum number of admissions annually lowered to 150,000.
1930 — Principal function of Ellis Island changed to detention station.

— Immigration sharply reduced during economic depression following stock market crash. Much of this was voluntary; also, President Hoover, in attempt to keep any available employment in hands of Americans, ordered American consuls to strictly enforce prohibition against admission of persons liable to become public changes.

The effects of the Quota Laws: American Immigration 1921-30

The numbers are those admitted, quota and non-quota. Very small regions and countries have been omitted. Source: Historical Statistics of the United States (1945 edn), 33, 35. Figures in 000's.
Year

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1920

1930
All countries

805

310

523

707

294

304

335

307

280

242
Europe

652

216

308

364

148

156

168

159

159

147
Britain

51

25

46

59

27

26

24

20

21

31
Ireland

28

11

16

17

27

25

29

25

20

23
Scandinavia

23

15

34

36

17

17

17

16

17

7
Other North-west

29

11

12

16

9

9

9

9

9

9
Germany

7

18

48

75

46

50

49

46

47

27
Poland

98

29

27

29

5

7

9

9

9

9
Other Central

77

29

34

33

5

6

7

7

8

9
Russia & Baltic

10

20

21

21

3

3

3

3

2

3
Other Eastern

33

12

16

13

2

2

2

2

2

2
Italy

222

40

47

56

6

8

17

18

18

22
Other Southern

74

6

7

9

2

3

4

4

4

5
Asia

25

14

14

23

4

3

4

3

4

5
Canada

73

47

117

201

103

93

85

75

66

65
Mexico

31

20

64

89

33

43

68

59

40

?3
1931 — Secretary of Labor Doak, following President Boover's policy, led a national roundup of illegal aliena for prospective deportation and transferred to Ellis Island.

— Many aliens also voluntarily sought deportation to escape economic depression. Any alien in the U.S. less than three years who could prove himself destitute could be deported at Federal expense.

— Deportations totalled 18,142, the greatest number to date in history of the Bureau.

— Edward Corsi, former immigrant through Ellis Island and long a social service worker with New York City immigrants. appointed new Commissioner of Immigration at New York Port.

— In additlon to repairs of facllitles at Ellis Island accompllshed by funds approprlated before Corsl took office, old marquee frontlng the main buildlng torn down and replaced by plaza laid with flower beds.
Corsi believed that Ellis Island's reputation suffered from the assumed necessity of enforcing the laws to the letter. He felt the need of tempering justice with mercy. To Corsi Ellis Island was not a prison and it was vrong to treat deportees as prisoners. Whlle they had previously been allowed to have visitors only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. he issued an order that friends and relatives might come to the island any day In the week. He found that detained aliens were denied telephone use and had telephones installed in the detention rooms. Detained aliens had been allowed only an hour or two a day outdoors due to lack of guards. Corsi requested more guards and got them, and the aliens, weather permitting, came to spend most of the day playing games or walking in the sunshine. He granted deportees the privilege of going out under guard to visit relatives or attend to business. He had a special mail box set up in the detention quarters for mail addressed to him, aod he made hlmself accesslble to listen to conplaints. He noted that many made valuable suggestions and that these talks were often responsible for prevention of injustices.

Better relations with the press than Ellis Island had known in the past were accomplished by Cersi in series of meetings, radio addresses and platform appearances.

He held the confidence of his superiors through the Hoover administration. and was able to soften Secretary of Labor Doak's deportation policy considerably. Good relations with the Washington office brought not only a more humane deportation policy, but also helped Corsi to get the money and authorlty for physical lmprovements at Ellis Island.
1933 — In contrast to only 4,488 incoming aliens through Ellis Island, there are 7,037 outgolng aliens. Immigrants returning home were often detained for long perlods while European consuls prepared passports for them or slowly investigated their rlght to return.

— Hitler became German Chancellor, initiating anti-Semitic campaign; Jewish refugees came to U.S., but quota system barriers not lifted to admit large numbers in jeopardy in Germany.

— Immigration and Naturalization Bureaus merged. Ellis Island become No. 3 of 22 districts nationwide, with Ellis covering southern New York and northern New Jersey.
1934 — Philippine Independence Act restricts Filipino immigration to annual quota of fifty.

— Funds from the New Deal's Public Works Administration allocated for landfill, making room for recreational grounds on Manhattan side of Main building. Landscaping of new playgrounds and gardens continued for several years with WPA labor, including the area between Islands 2 and 3.
1934-35 — Under recommendations of a committee established under Presiden Franklin Roosevelt, last major construction accomplished on Ellis Island.

— Baggage and dormitory building remodeled to allow better segregation of different classes of deportees.

— Recreation hall and shelter constructed on filled in area between Islands 2 and 3.

— Sun porches added to several contagious wards on Island 3 for tuberculosis patients.

— Improved quarters for medical staff on Island 2 reconstructed.

— New fireproof ferry house built at end of boat slip, containing waiting rooms, lunch counter, guard room and repair shop.

— New immigration building constructed on recently landfilled 100-acre wide area behind new ferry house, intended as a place for immigrants to be segregated from "criminal or undesirable" deportees. Extensions on both sides of building, well-fenced in, was to provide recreation space. (Once this new facility was completed, immigration flow was so minimal that maintenance funds were not provided for its use and it remained closed for several years, never to be used to its original purpose. New immigrants continued to be received in the main building.)

— New fireproof passageways constructed to connect ferry house and new immigration building with Island 1.

— Commissioner Corsi resigned to accept appointment under Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, having become confident that operations at Ellis Island were well established and not requiring intensive direction.
1938 — Investigating committee appointed by Secretary of Labor examined immigration and naturalization records over previous nine years, revealing altered manifests, missing official documents and theft of entire files. Investigation led to successful prosecution of over 250 racketeers, employees, aliens and steamship companies.
1939  — World War II erupts. New, never-used immigration station and ground floor of baggage and dormitory building occupied by Coast Guard to train and house recruits to patrol the area's waters to enforce the Neutrality Act of 1935.
1940 — Commissioner Reimer, Corsi's successor observed the fiftieth anniversary of the Ellis Island Immigration Station, with Governor's Island firing an 11-gun salute and the Coast Guard on Ellis responding by cannon.
1940 — Alien Registration Act required not only registration of all aliens but also added to the list of deportable classes and called for finger printing arriving aliens.

— Immigration and Naturalization Service transferred to Department of Justice because immigrants had come to be considered primarily in the aspect of potential threats to national security.
1941 — U.S. entered World War II. Ellis Island again used for detention of suspected alien immigrants.
1942 — Japanese-Americans evacuated from West Coast to detention camps.
1943 — Numerous detainees held at Ellis Island required all available facilities. Administrative functions transferred to WPA Headquarters Building in Manhattan, with Ellis kept solely as a detention station for aliens.
1945 — Large-scale Puerto Rican migration to escape poverty occurred, with many settling in New York.
1946 — Coast Guard station on Ellis Island decommissioned, leaving entire new immigration building, half the ferry house and much of the baggage and dormitory building untenanted.

— War Brides Act provided for admission of foreign-born wives of American servicemen.
1948 — Displaced Persons Act provided for admission of 400,000 refugees during a four-year period: three-quarters regular displaced persons from countries with low quotas; and one quarter German, special groups of Greek, Polish and Italian refugees, orphans and European refugees stranded in the Far East.
1946-49 — Excessive operating costs of little-used station prompted Federal consideration of the Immigration and Naturalization Service vacating Ellis Island.
1950 — Internal Security Act, passed over President Truman's veto, excluded arriving aliens who had ever been members of Communist and Fascist organizations.

— Brief flurry of activity at Ellis Island as incoming aliens had to be carefully screened for membership in the proscribed organizations.
1951 — Rearrangement of space and extensive repairs accomplished to accomodate detained aliens rounded up throughout the country as suspected illegal residents.

— Public Health Service, unable to obtain funds, closed the hospital group on the island; Island No. 2 complex temporarily taken over by the Coast Guard.
1952 — Immigration and Naturalization Act, codifying existing legislation made the quota system even more rigid and repressive.
1953-56 — Refugee Relief Act granted visas to some 5,000 Hungarians after 1956 revolution; President Eisenhower invited 30,000 more on parole.
1954 — New detention policy enacted under which only those aliens "likely to abscond and those whose release would be inimical to the national security" were to be retained, while those with purely technical difficulties were allowed to proceed under parole. New policy resulted, within ten days, of a drop to 25 detained aliens at Ellis Island, compared to the previous several hundred.
November 3, 1954  — Ellis Island Station officially closed and declared excess federal property.
1957 — Special legislation enacted to admit Hungarian refugees.
March 15, 1955 — In accordance with standing procedures, a screening of Federal agencies surfaced no need for the site, and the General Services Administration (GSA) declared Ellis Island surplus property. States, local governments and qualified non-profit institutions had next chance at the property and many varied proposals were submitted to GSA, e.g., New York City interest in site as home for aged and homeless; New York State introduced bill for site's use as alcoholic clinic; New Jersey State favored its use as an ethnic museum. Problems including required 50% cost by purchaser and revival of traditional boundary disputes between New York and New Jersey along with proposals for ineligible uses mitigated approval of any of these alternatives.
September, 1956 — GSA advertised Ellis Island for private sale by sealed bid, with response of 21 bids. Widespread public opposition to private sale developed, prompting GSA to again, unsuccessfully, canvas for public uses.
1958- 59 — GSA made three attempts to sell the island by sealed bids, but all were rejected as not being commensurate with the property's value. Among numerous proposals were a self-contained city designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a large resort complex, drug addiction rehabilitation center, religious center, etc.
1960 — Cuban immigration began, following Castro revolution.

— Interest in educational use of the Island led GSA to authorize HEW to review proposals and make the island available without charge for suitable applicant.
1961 — HEW advised GSA that none of the proposals met requirements for a health or educational transfer of the property.
1962 — Legislation enacted to allow admission of Hong Kong refugees.

— Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations reviewed 5 bills introduced in the 87th Congress: S. 2596 (Ellis Island for Higher Education, Inc.); S. 2852 (The Training School at Vineland, N.J.); and S. 867, S. 1118, and S. 1198, slightly different versions for health, education, and housing for the elderly. Action witheld pending further review.

— A final offer of $2.1 million to GSA was turned down.
1963 — Congress urged by President Kennedy to pass new legislation eliminating national origins quota system.
Sept. 4, 1963  — Senator Muskie called Executive Meeting of the Subcommittee with New York and New Jersey state and local officials along with involved Federal agency representatives. New Jersey presented Liberty Park proposal, which prompted Sen. Muskie to request Dept. of Interior "to review proposal for Ellis Island as a national park, monument, or recreation area in conjunction with the New Jersey shoreline."
Dec. 3, 1963 — Meeting held at Federal Hall with 28 people representing Senate Subcommittee, NPS, BOR, GSA, Housing and Home Finance Agency, States of New York and New Jersey, New York City and Jersey City, to review the problem. NPS Northeast Regional Director Lee designated coordinator of Ellis Island study in cooperation with BOR.
Dec. 20, 1963 — Study team met with New Jersey State officials to discuss technical aspects.
May-June, 1964 — Draft report reviewed with New Jersey and New York state and local officials.
June 24, 1964

— Study Report on Ellis Island forwarded to Senate Subcommittee, recommending Ellis Island be designated a National Historic Site.
1965

— President Johnson signed into law liberalized immigration abolishing national origins quotas.

May 11, 1965 — President Johnson issued Proclamation 3656 adding Ellis Island to the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
August 17, 1965 — P.L. 89-129, 89th Cong., H.J. Res. 454 authorized to be appropriated not more than $6 million to develop Ellis Island, but not more than $3 million during the first five years. DOI and NPS testified that about $2,540,000 would be allocated within the first five years.

— Shortly thereafter, as had been announced by President Johnson when signing the Proclamation, a 200-enrollee Job Corps Conservation Center was established on the New Jersey Waterfront and corpsmen worked on clean-up of Ellis Island as well as on Liberty Island and the Liberty State Park.

— Secretary of Interior Udall designated Philip Johnson to prepare a plan for Ellis Island
1966 — Philip Johnson's design plan unveiled with some ceremony at Federal Hall NM. It was met with mixed reactions. Subsequent NPS appraisal concluded that exhorbitant required costs necessitated shelving the plan.
July 1966 — Cooperative Agreement between the Secretary of the Interior and the National Ellis Island Association, Inc. This cooperating association, an offshoot of the former U.S. Committee for Refugees (now the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference) was short lived, with no activity after 1967.
Feb 1968 — NPS/Ellis Island Master Plan Team and guidelines established.
June 1968 — Master Plan completed. Development concept focused on retention of the main building and removal of other structures except the ferryboat, covered walkways, three fairly modern buildings and possibly the older hospital group. Three physical units were recognized: the north unit, containing the main immigration building would communicate the park story; the south unit to be cleared would serve as a park activity area and for special ethnic events; the filled area joining these units would serve as a transition between them. Access would be a boat shuttle between Ellis and Liberty Islands and Ellis and Manhattan, with later access to Liberty Park when developed; careful study of a monorail or footbridge connection to New Jersey was recommended. The plan calls for interpretive development of the main building, for interpretive and administrative facilities in its west wing, and for a maintenance and residential area; facilities needed for ethnic events and a concession food service on the south unit; and space for a restaurant and evening program seating if either proves feasible.
November 1968 — Master Plan approved.
April 1970 — Estimate for Master Plan implementation set by DSC as $3,950,600 for Phase I minimal requirements and $609,400 for Phase II.
September 1, 1970 — Special use permit issued to Dr. Thomas Matthew of the Sept 21, 1971 National Economic Growth and Reconstruction Organization, Inc. (NEGRO) for the south side of the island. The group vacated the island in 1971. Health and safety considerations resulted in termination of the permit in April 1973.
August 1972 — During his dedication of the American Museum of Immigration, President Nixon expressed interest in completing development of Ellis Island by the Bicentennial celebration in July 1976.
1973 — Nixon apparently became interested in possible private donations to rehabilitate Ellis Island. At the request of the Department, the region prepared five alternative options including private and joint Federal/private projects and returning Ellis Island to GSA. Costs ranged from $21 million to $77 million. During the same period, Secretary-Morton expressed the view that Ellis should be divested due, to rehabilitation cost burdens.
November 1974 — A meeting was organized at Ellis Island with ethnic groups and NPS representatives for possible organization of private-donation efforts. Outcome: Most felt that government funding was essential as a demonstration of good faith and interest, and subsequent donations could be sought from the private sector. Dr. Peter Sammartino, Chancellor of Fairleigh Dickenson University, then with the New Jersey Bicentennial Commission and looking for a "pet project," was designated temporary chairman of an ad hoc committee to restore Ellis Island.
1975 — Supplemental appropriations proposed to initiate a visitor use program at Ellis Island ($1.5 million: $550,000 development; $950,000 operating funds).

— Congressional party toured Ellis In May (Congressmen Sidney Yates, Frank E. Evans, and K. Gunn McKay). NARO had costed four options for actions required to allow visitors on Ellis, from $416,200 to $1,556,600.
1975 — Two development options prepared by NARO for Assistant Secretary: a) $10 million for stabilization; b) $24 million for restoration.

— Old Master Plan recognized as out of date. Required revisions: identification of buildings to be retained and appropriate preservation action; land use classification of entire property as historic zone due to its status on National Register.

— Congress approved only $1 million for restoration; directed NPS to find $450,000 for operations.
1976 — Action plan implemented to open Ellis Island including dredging ferry basin, new dock, seawall study, limited rehabilitation of main building, installation of utilities, and employee housing. Interpretation plan developed by Ed Kallop, Regional Curator.
May 30, 1976 — Ellis Island opened to visitation.
1977

— Ellis Island Subcommittee of the NAR Advisory Committee submits report on review of 1968 Master Plan with their views on current issues regarding the future of Ellis Island.

Meeting at North, Atlantic Regional Qffice regional and WASO staff; Regional Director recommended to Director that Phase  development of Ellis concentrate on keeping it open to limited visitation; stabilization of main building, other structures of high priority and seawall; development of utility systems.

— Omnibus legislation (H.R. 96-31) introduced by Congressman Skubitz on 10/18/77 included proposed ceiling authorization increase for Ellis from $6 million to$18.6 million. House subcommittee hearings in November; no NPS testimony. NPS justification for increase: construction of sewage disposal system; rehabilitation of seawall and docking facilities.

— H.J. Resolution 651 to increase ceiling authorization to $50 million introduced by Congressmen Koch and Bingham, on Nov. 11. Rep. Koch inserted in Cong. Record NPS breakdown of obligated funds to date by project ($2,221 million of $6 million ceiling) and estimated remaining rehabilitation costs ($31 million).
1978

— Director called for study of Ellis Island to be conducted under lead of Tedd McCann. •

— New York City Council passed resolution calling upon U.S. Congress to appropriate additional funds for Ellis Island rehabilitation.

— Congressmen Bingham testified before Interior Subcommittee on H.J. Res. 651.

Ellis Island and New York skyline, 1978

Source:

  • A Master Plan for Ellis Island, New York, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior (June 1968), and addendums to 1978.

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