Immigrating to America through Ellis Island
“In the main hall of the immigration station on Ellis Island, immigrants wait for the next phase of inspection. On some days, more than 5,000 people filled this room.”
When I think about immigration, one of the first images that pops into my mind is Ellis Island in New York City. I grew up on stories of my grandparents traveling from Italy and arriving in the United States at Ellis Island (one of my favorites being how my grandfather corrected the spelling of our last name on his documentation from “Marinelli” to “Marinilli”). While immigrants may not be entering the US through Ellis Island anymore, it resembles the idea that people will migrate and ultimately find themselves in a host country that could become their next home. However, what happens to these people upon entering the United States has a much fuzzier image to it: how will children get an education? How will people make money? Find a home? Learn a new language? Adapt? Conform?