“Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade visited Ellis Island, the historic site where millions of people arrived with the hopes of becoming American citizens, in a new season of Fox Nation’s “What Made America Great.”
From crossing the Atlantic planet-earth in steamships to the medical and legal exams, Kilmeade learned about the journey step-by-step alongside immigration” target=”_blank”>immigration< that 40% of all Americans can trace a piece of their heritage back to Ellis Island.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT STATUE REMOVED FROM FRONT OF NYC’S MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
“Over 12 million people would come to this Island from the years 1892-1954, all with a similar dream: they wanted to be an American,” Kilmeade explained. “Whether they were fleeing poverty or oppression or just wanted a fresh start, they would steam here into new-york-city” target=”_blank”>New York<
In the episode, Housch walked Wildes and Kilmeade through the buildings to where the exams took place. Wildes estimated that about 10% of people who got off the ship were detained, where they were sent to attend another hearing before determining authorization.
After walking the path through the building, Kilmeade was taken to the Stairs of Separation. These stairs marked the point where the immigrants would embark on their next destination.
“It’s not the separation I love, it’s that they’re the original stairs. Just a soft kind of depression in the stairs because of how many people came down them. This is our staircase at Ellis Island that millions of immigrants went down,” Housch reflected.
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“This is the land of opportunity, of freedom, and of liberty. This wasn’t just another country. This was the country,” Kilmeade said of the experience.
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