US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a new short documentary, titled USCIS and the Legacy of Ellis Island, about the history of Ellis Island as an immigrant processing station. The video tells the story of the federal immigration service on Ellis Island and its employees who processed over twelve million immigrants from 1892 to 1954. Featuring interviews from historians, National Park Service rangers, and an archived interview from a worker at this iconic immigration station, the documentary tells the story of Ellis Island from the perspective of those who worked there. “USCIS holds a distinctive place in history for its role in processing immigrants into the fabric of our nation,” USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna said at the premiere to agency employees. “It remains an undisputable fact that America is a nation of immigrants. As employees, we all have an essential duty in honoring and preserving that legacy.”
Boat Dance 2017
It’s one of our favorite events of the year: the firm’s annual “Boat Dance.” Everyone took a break last night from working hard preparing visa petitions to enjoy some good food (shrimp cocktails!), conversation, and drinks! Despite menacing skies and thunderstorm forecasts, our boat, The Manhattan, took us all on a lovely ride on the Hudson and East Rivers where we were able to view Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Although it was a bit windy, the weather turned out great in the end, and we all were able to watch a beautiful sunset at the Statue of Liberty. Alla, Gabby, Ashley, and Lourdes (shown above) had some great laughs and even learned a valuable lesson—don’t wear skirts on a windy boat!
Welcome to the New Ellis Island
“Through the blue door, please.”
This line from the movie Brooklyn, which incidentally we highly recommend, is said by an American immigration official at Ellis Island to Eilis Lacey (played wonderfully by Saoirse Ronan) after her long and uncomfortable boat trip to America. After Eilis is processed at immigration, and as she makes her way to the blue doors, we see behind those doors a bright and heavenly light shining down, signifying hope and new opportunities in America.
Ellis Island, where those blue doors welcomed immigrants for many years, is one of the most famous American immigration landmarks. This tiny island off the southeast tip of Manhattan served as the nation’s first federal immigration processing center from 1892 to 1954, and millions of Americans (including me) can trace their heritage to ancestors who first arrived here. The National Park Service recently opened the newly-renovated and expanded Ellis Island Museum after extensive damage by Hurricane Sandy, and I decided to check it out.
Read moreMy Immigration Story
I’m an American Jew, the kind that bleeds first for the Constitution, the Knicks, rock ‘n’ roll, and Levi’s blue jeans, and second, for “the old country” as my father used to call it. I was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, but I’ve always felt the breath of my ancestry on my neck. My immigration experience is second-hand, one borrowed from my parents and their parents before them and so on and so forth. From Exodus to exile to Ellis Island—that is my family’s Jewish experience.
Read moreEnormous Power
Ellis Island Reopens
Ellis Island Entrance by Michael Gray via creative commons
Nearly one year after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, Ellis Island has partially reopened. Reuters reports:
Repairs are ongoing, but from Monday morning visitors will be able to see its famous views of the downtown Manhattan skyline and tour parts of the immigration museum in the island's Beaux-Arts main building, including the Great Hall that was once crowded with newly arrived immigrants.
And in other Sandy news, The NY Times reports on how many businesses and homes are remembering Sandy--by preserving the waterline.