I visited Ellis Island along with the Statue of Liberty on a fine day in Dec 2024. I felt that it was timely to write a review of Ellis Island, given the current administration's stance on immigration, and I also think this site deserves a place on the World Heritage list.

Voluntary immigration

To my knowledge, UNESCO has not done a specific thematic study exclusively dedicated to potential World Heritage Sites associated with voluntary and large-scale immigration. In this context, voluntary immigration involved immigrants who sought better economic opportunities, escaped persecution, or wanted to reunite with family. 

The island is known for its historical significance as the primary immigration station for the United States from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. If there were such a study, Ellis Island would definitely banner the thematic study alongside the Statue of Liberty. If the US were to nominate Ellis Island to the World Heritage list, including Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay (as Kyle suggests) could strengthen the case for the site. Here's an article that nicely compares Ellis Island and Angel Island. Ellis Island and Angel Island also remind me of Pier 21 in Halifax, Canada, which served roughly the same purpose as Ellis Island. 

The island

We hopped on the ferry after visiting the Statue of Liberty in the morning. We docked right in front of the Museum of Immigration, housed in the former main building on the island’s northern side. This was where hopeful immigrants were first processed upon arrival. As we had done at Monticello, Mount Vernon, and the Statue of Liberty, we began our visit with an introductory film for an overview of the history and significance of the place. Even after reading about the site in detail, I found watching the introductory film especially helpful, definitely because of the visuals, which brought the events to life and made the story feel more visceral.

We took the self-guided audio tour to explore the museum. Panels, exhibits, and walls have numbers that you could enter into the headset controller for narrated explanations. After spending some time in the main hall, we moved into the rooms that told the stories of the immigrants' experiences in the facility. Different rooms marked different steps immigrants underwent as they were assessed for their mental, physical, and a bit of financial and 'legal' fitness. There were so many fascinating and rather overwhelming stories told--some joyful, others heartbreaking. I could still remember the stories of families being separated, brothers and friends outsmarting immigration officers, and those who, after passing their assessments, seemed to have become uncertain about what lay ahead at their final destinations. There was also the Family History Centre where descendants of immigrants could learn about their ancestry. It's pretty cool that the previous reviewers found connections to Ellis Island!

After the tour, we went straight back to the dockyard to take the arriving ferry--only to miss it and wait for another 30 minutes. It was quite a big crowd so we didn't try to leave the queue. From what I know, only a few parts of the island are readily accessible to the public: the museum and the grounds on the northern side of the island, including the remains of Fort Gibson with the Wall of Honour. If you would like to visit the southern side of the island, you'd have to book the Hard Hat Tour.

The Hard Hat Tour gives you a 90-minute tour of the hospital buildings on the southern side of the island. We were not able to do this, but I'd make sure I'll be able to do this when I revisit New York (probably once the current term of government ends). I bet this would give visitors a bit more context to the experiences of the immigrants at the time, especially those who were sent for quarantine. 

New York or New Jersey?

If you check Google Maps, you'd notice that Ellis Island is shared by both New York and New Jersey. The boundary line appears oddly drawn, with most (not all!) of the main building falling under New York's jurisdiction, while the rest of the island belongs to New Jersey. You can read more about the 1998 Supreme Court ruling that settled this jurisdictional dispute here.