When I read about the Ferry Building on Ellis Island that recently opened to the public after being closed in 1954, I was reminded of our nation’s pressing need to enact another comprehensive immigration reform.
Ellis Island is the centerpiece of U.S. immigration history, and while parts of the island were opened to the public in 1990, the rest has been off limits to the curious since the 1950s. The Ferry Building was many immigrant newcomers’ final stop before heading to the mainland to begin their lives in America. It has been described as the “happiest” place on the island. Ellis Island was millions of immigrants’ gateway to a new life, with as many as 5,000 newcomers being processed each day in the early 1900s. The Ferry Building was where immigrants hitched a ride to shore after passing the legal and health inspections.
More than 12 million immigrants were processed at Ellis Island, and today there are about that many undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. who can only dream of being legal residents. Our economy is obviously dependent on immigrant labor, yet the government doesn’t provide them with a legal avenue to enter the country. The result is our reality: a porous and dangerous border marked by ruthless smugglers and vigilante patrols, huge populations of settled illegal immigrants too fearful to make the trip home despite the seasonal nature of their work, and increasingly hateful rhetoric emanating from the mainstream press regarding the presence of undocumented immigrants.
We desperately need Congress to address this issue. President Bush, one year ago, put forward a sensible plan for reform that includes a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. The Democratic takeover of the House and Senate was good news for those of us who support the president’s idea, but while some politicians have promised meaningful reform, absolutely nothing has been done about it.
Who knows how many more of the shuttered buildings of Ellis Island will be refurbished and opened to the public in the time it takes Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform. We’re still waiting…
