Where Is Ellis Island When We Need It?
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #33
August 18, 2025
Where Is Ellis Island When We Need It?
It seems that our news media is now dominated by stories of ICE rounding up immigrants, even those who have jobs as well as being productive members of the communities in which they live and work. These stories remind me of a trip that I took to Ellis Island a few years ago. I wonder why we can’t organize immigration as well now as we did when Ellis Island was operating.
Ellis Island operated from 1892-1954. During its tenure it processed 12 million immigrants. Not every immigrant who got to Ellis Island was allowed in our nation. Some were put in detention while other were deported. Some, who were sponsored or had jobs were admitted and most worked in our factories during our nation’s industrialization. According to history, most of the processing of immigrants took only a few hours. I wonder why we can’t have such an efficient processing system now given our advances in technology and communication. Immigration lawyers tell me that the legal process from immigration to citizenship takes years and costs more money than most immigrants possess. How can it take years to do now what took a few hours in 1892? Is it any wonder that immigrants come here illegally to escape the poverty of their nations?
This weekend I read an article in The Telegraph that all immigration from Gaza to the United States has now been halted. This includes immigrants who need medical attention and had their migrations organized by Heal Palestine, which is a humanitarian aid group. Many of these immigrants are seeking medical attention because of the ongoing war in Gaza. This humanitarian group has already evacuated 148 people from Gaza including 63 injured children. These medical evacuations have been stopped for fear that one or more of these immigrants might be terrorists who will harm United States citizens once they are in this country.
I wonder if we need a process like Ellis Island to vet such people and extend humanitarian aid to those who need it but will not be a threat to our nation.
Recently I read that Glenn Foods in Omaha, Nebraska might have to shut down. ICE agents detained half of the work force of the plant. The people detained were employed. At Ellis Island, you were allowed in if you had a job waiting for you. Now we are detaining people who do have jobs. How does this help our economy? I wonder if we need Ellis Island back.
I have heard horror stories from members of the Reformed Church in America who own family farms. Their children and grandchild went to college and escaped the rigors of farm life. With few options, these farmers employed Hispanic immigrants to run the farms. Without them, our domestic food supplies might be in danger. These farmer owners live in fear that their labor force might be detained by ICE and their farms closed down.
I wish that we had an Ellis Island who could process people who were working and contributing to our nation.
It is, of course, popular to blame the president for all of these ICE raids but my question goes deeper. Where have members of congress been the last 70 years since Ellis Island closed in setting up a process for efficiently processing immigrants? Why should this processing take years instead of hours as it used to. Congress members have had jurisdiction over immigration legislation. What have they been doing since Ellis Island closed? I feel that much of the blame for this immigration debacle must rest on the doors of congress.
I wish that we had an efficient system as we once did at Ellis Island. Maybe during the next election, we need to demand that members of congress begin construction and implementing a workable system. The alternative will be the loss of good workers that our economy depends on.
#ReformedChurchInAmerica # BergenCounty,NJ
#www.PastorMarkAuthor.com #www.revmarkwilliamennis.com
#GlenRock,NJ #CommunityChurchofGlenRock
#EllisIsland #Immigration