Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the main entry point for immigrants arriving in the United States from 1892 to 1924. incarceration and deportation until its closure in 1954. In total, more than twelve million immigrants passed through the halls. But in 1974, when we were students and made the short documentary above, it was in decline.
At the time, the buildings were abandoned and inaccessible to the public, and the famous ferry that brought immigrants from the island to Manhattan sank in a storm in 1968. For two New Jersey teenagers, Ellis Island was a forbidden mystery tantalizingly close to shore, so we began venturing to the island in a small rowboat with a 16-millimeter camera. Knowing how many people had passed through the buildings gave them a certain power, and there were also physical reminders of the past: mattresses, dishes, paperwork and signs printed in different languages.
When we spoke to residents of the New York City area at the time who visited the island much earlier in their lives, those moments at Ellis Island were seared into their memories. In the film, they vividly recalled the dizzying experience of arriving and seeing New York City for the first time. Their brief stay on Ellis Island became the fulcrum – the literal turning point – of their lives.
Today, rewatching our film about Ellis Island's historic role raises profound questions about the country's current immigration policies. Must be the “Golden Door” (to use that of the poet Emma Lazarus famous words) leave open or close? The stories of those who passed through Ellis Island long ago may suggest an answer to this question. At the very least, the memories of these immigrants remind us that there always has been – and always will be – “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”