How is Angel Island different from Ellis Island?
While often called the “Ellis Island of the West,” Angel Island Immigration Station, was in fact quite different. Angel Island was established through federal legislation aimed at stemming the tide of immigration. Officials referred to it as the “Guardian of the Western Gate.” From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island was the principal federal immigration station in the United States processing twelve million immigrants from all over the world, most from Eastern and Southern Europe. The average immigrant stay on Ellis Island was not lengthy. The average processing time at Ellis Island was two to three hours. In contrast, immigrants crossing the Pacific between 1910 and 1940 endured crowded facilities, humiliating medical examinations, intense interrogations, and countless days of waiting at the Angel Island Immigration Station during the years of its operation.
