Ellis Island's past returns in US immigration row

ELLIS ISLAND, New York, June 15 (Reuters) Ellis Island, once the gateway to America for millions of immigrants, is having a make-over after years of neglect that nearly allowed nature to destroy a national treasure.

But experts caution that, in all of the nostalgia, the country should remember past debates over who should be allowed into the United States.

The restoration of the back end of the 32-acre (13-hectare) island in New York harbor comes as the immigration debate rages anew and President George W Bush's reforms are stalled.

''I do think it's interesting that we worship Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and yet we want to pull up the gang planks now that we're here,'' said Kenneth T Jackson, a history professor at New York's Columbia University.

Some 12 million immigrants, nearly all European, passed through Ellis Island before entering the United States, mostly from 1892 to 1924, though it remained operational until 1954.

Newcomers marveled at views of the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty on a nearby island, providing memories passed down through the generations.

As many as 100 million Americans have ancestors who passed through Ellis Island, where a French renaissance-style brick palace built in 1900 welcomed hardscrabble immigrants who left the Old World behind.

That main building, with its cavernous arrivals area and soaring ceiling, was repaired in the late 1980s and attracts ferries full of American and foreign tourists.

A new project led by a group called Save Ellis Island is attempting to raise public and private funds for a 250 million dollar rehabilitation of a labyrinth of 30 buildings that were part of a 750-bed hospital for sick newcomers.

This follows the restoration unveiled in April of the ferry building, where processed immigrants boarded boats to New York City and the New Jersey shore.

Private donations for the restoration have come from rich Americans whose ancestors arrived through Ellis Island.

NEW REALITIES Jackson and others draw parallels between the current debate and the history of Ellis Island. A century ago it was Irish, Italians and Jews who suffered discrimination, while today it is Latin Americans and Asians.

The early 20th century image of immigration was captured in black-and-white photographs of sullen-faced women and mustachioed men in suits and hats, all lining up at the door to the land of opportunity with overstuffed suitcases.

Today that image comes from video of Latin Americans climbing over fences at the southern US border, an act that sometimes precedes a dangerous trek across desert.

Europeans did not need a visa to get through Ellis Island a century ago, but sentiment against the entry of Russian Jews and Roman Catholics put the brakes on immigration when restrictions were imposed in 1921 and 1924, Jackson said.

''The difference is that now some of the groups that were discriminated against as being outside the pale are now part of the majority and are now saying hey, let's not let anybody else in,'' Jackson said.

Proponents of stricter immigration controls note that the United States recruited foreign labor to meet demand as the country changed from an agrarian to an industrial society.

Now, after four decades of massive illegal immigration largely from Mexico and Latin America, an estimated 12 million undocumented aliens live in the United States.

That has raised concerns in some quarters over the strain on public services and the impact on poor US citizens competing for unskilled jobs.

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Just as Ellis Island suffered years of neglect, experts say US immigration policy is in need of modernizing.

''By our way of thinking, today we have very much an 18th century or 19th century immigration policy for a 21st century economy,'' said John Keeley, communications director at the Center for Immigration Studies.

''It bears mentioning that other industrialized countries like Canada have upgraded and modernized their immigration systems. We conspicuously have lagged.'' Bush proposes reinforcing border security while providing a chance for illegal immigrants to qualify for legal residency.

The legislation was pulled last week after it failed to win enough support in the Senate to advance to final passage.

Bush wants to revive it but has run into opposition from fellow Republicans who oppose what they consider to be an amnesty for people who broke US laws.

Meanwhile, the huddled masses of a century ago are heroes today, their point of entry at Ellis Island recognized as an icon of the American dream.

''You have come to the most important piece of real estate in the history of the United States,'' park ranger Douglas Treem tells visitors as they stand where millions lined up for inspections to see if they would be allowed in or become part of the 2 per cent sent back home.

''It could turn out to be the most important piece of real estate in the history of the planet,'' he said. ''Ask me again in 5,000 years.'' Reuters AGL RS0935