Coming to America

Immigrants arriving in America in 1915 would pass the Statue of Liberty on their way to the immigration station on Ellis Island.

Rue des Archives/Granger, NYC

Ellis Island is located in New York Harbor.

Jim McMahon

Ellis Island became a national monument in 1965.

Tomas Sereda/Getty Images

Jean Rizzi with Scholastic News editor Nicole Tocco

Courtesy Nicole Tocco

Jean Rizzi as a baby in 1928 with her mother and siblings, before they left Italy

Courtesy Nicole Tocco

Coming to America

A Scholastic News editor traces her family’s roots back to Ellis Island.

BY NICOLE TOCCO

Imagine leaving behind everything you know to move to a new country where you don’t speak the language. Eighty years ago, my grandmother, Jean Rizzi, did just that.

Like so many immigrants from Europe, her first stop in the United States was Ellis Island, in New York Harbor. The immigration station on Ellis Island opened 125 years ago, on January 1, 1892. By the time the station closed in 1954, it had welcomed more than 12 million foreigners to America.

A LONG JOURNEY

My grandmother’s journey started near Naples, Italy. Her father had already immigrated to New York City. Like countless others, he came with the hope of building a better life for his family. He got a job working in construction. Once he had saved enough money, he sent for his family to join him. In November 1936, his wife and three kids boarded a ship to New York. At just 8 years old, my grandmother didn’t know what to expect.

“I was nervous,” she recalls. “But I was also excited about finally getting to see my new home in the big city.” For nearly two weeks, they were at sea with no land in sight, all staying in one tiny room. “I couldn’t wait to get off that boat,” my grandmother says.

When the boat sailed past the Statue of Liberty and docked at Ellis Island, my grandmother thought their journey was over. But she and her family still had to be processed. This included being examined by doctors and standing in line for hours, waiting for officials to check their paperwork. (They were lucky. Many people waited for days or weeks before they were allowed to leave the island.) Finally, they were off to their new home in Queens, New York, where my grandmother still lives.

ISLAND OF HOPE

Today, Ellis Island is a national monument. The building where my grandmother once stood in line is a museum. It’s visited by about 3 million people each year, many of whom come to trace their family’s roots. To immigrants like my grandmother, the island remains a symbol of freedom and the American dream.

“To us, Ellis Island meant we had made it to America, our new home,” she says.

People have been coming to America from other countries throughout history. Do you think we should stop people from coming or allow everyone to come to America?