With America’s entrance into World War I, immigration declined and Ellis Island was used as a detention center for suspected enemies. In November 1954, the last detainee, a Norwegian merchant seaman, was released and Ellis Island officially closed.

They dress up, pack up a few belongings, receive little tickets and passports, and experience in a small way the history of many of their ancestors. If the immigrant’s papers were in order and they were in reasonably good health, the Ellis Island inspection process would last approximately three to five hours.

The immigrant waited on the island at the spot for the specific railway agency (a marked area) who then took them on the ferry to the railway station. There were several railway stations depending on destination. Immigrants that should travel further to New England took the ferry to Manhattan.

There are snack bars on all the boats which sell healthy snacks and beverages, as well as merchandise. There are also concession stands and gift stores on Liberty and Ellis Island.

Significance: The first official immigration station and long the busiest in the United States, Ellis Island was the entry point for more than 12 million newcomers. Ellis Island was once the site of the nation’s busiest immigrant processing center.

Personification: Personification is to attribute human characteristics to lifeless objects. The poet has used personification in the ninth line, “Cries she with her silent lips.” The line means the statues it cries like a human being.

The story behind ‘The New Colossus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty and how it became a symbol of immigration. “The New Colossus” was written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus to help raise funds for construction of the towering sculpture’s pedestal. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”