USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Many Americans focus on Ellis Island when considering the American immigrant experience. This island, the primary immigration station on the east coast from 1892 until 1954, served as the point-of-entry for 20 million Americans; 40% of Americans have ancestors who entered the US through the Ellis Island station.

Detailed explanation-2: -By the early 1900s, many of the immigrants to the United States from Europe entered the country through Ellis Island, an immigration center in New York. On the West Coast, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, mostly from Asia, entered through another immigration center, Angel Island.

Detailed explanation-3: -Image: Ellis Island, New York, 2019. Image: Angel Island, California, 2021. The U.S. Public Health Service was responsible for the inspection and/or treatment of over 13 million immigrants at Ellis Island and Angel Island – the two largest immigration ports on either coast.

Detailed explanation-4: -This comparison of the Ellis Island (1892-1954) and Angel Island (1910-1940) Immigration Stations highlights the range of functions and priorities in the enforcement of immigration policy.