Where Did Immigrants Enter After Ellis Island Closed?

Ellis Island closed as an immigration station in November 1954. By then, mass immigration had already plummeted due to the **1924 Immigration Act** (national origins quotas). Post-closure, processing shifted to:

Major Ports of Entry

• New York City: **Brooklyn Army Terminal**, **Manhattan Cruise Terminal**, and later **JFK Airport** (opened 1948, became dominant for air arrivals).
• San Francisco: **Angel Island Immigration Station** (1910–1940, "Ellis Island of the West" for Asian immigrants), **Presidio**, **San Francisco International Airport**.
• Los Angeles/Long Beach: **Terminal Island**, **San Pedro**, **LAX** (major Pacific/Asian gateway).
• Other Airports: **Miami (Cuban/Haitian), Chicago (O'Hare), Honolulu, Seattle, Boston, Newark**—as air travel replaced ships.
• Land Borders: **US-Mexico** (El Paso, San Ysidro, Laredo, Nogales) and **US-Canada** (Blaine, Niagara Falls, Detroit, Champlain) crossings became primary for Western Hemisphere immigrants.

Modern System

Today, **USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) field offices** nationwide handle adjustment of status, asylum, and naturalization. **CBP (Customs and Border Protection)** officers at **328 ports of entry** (air, land, sea) conduct primary inspection. The iconic "island station" model is history; processing is decentralized, bureaucratic, and increasingly biometric.