More Than 12 Million Immigrants Passed Through Ellis Island

For a generation, one small island in New York Harbor was the front door of the United States. The U.S. National Park Service states that from 1892 to 1924, Ellis Island was America’s largest and most active immigration station, where over 12 million immigrants were processed. The stop was shorter than its place in memory suggests. On average, according to the Park Service, the inspection process took approximately 3 to 7 hours. For most of the people who went through it, the outcome was a good one. The Park Service says that for the vast majority of immigrants, Ellis Island truly was an Island of Hope, the first stop on their way to new opportunities and experiences in America. It describes the island as a speck of land that people have used for hundreds of years.