LatinaLista — Today, many Americans equate immigration with the U.S.-Mexico border. Yet, while the immigration process can happen anywhere along the borders of the United States, there is one place that historically has been seen as the “official” gateway into the country — Ellis Island.
Though a museum now, Ellis Island is known for being the entrance into the country for newly arrived immigrants — people who were not always welcomed with open arms but who contributed much to the history and development of the nation. Unfortunately, for people who live far away from New York City – where Ellis Island is located — they don’t get the opportunity to see first-hand what newly arrived immigrants saw when they disembarked from boats and set food on firm ground.
However, a documentary titled Ellis Island – History of Immigration to the United States (1890-1920) from The Best Film Archives, and available on YouTube, recounts the “single largest migration of immigrants to the United States of America through Ellis Island between 1890 and 1920.”
What the documentary reveals is that the United States has always been a beacon of not just opportunity but safety and a symbol of freedom that is always under siege in some corner of the world.
