ELLIS ISLAND - Here on the island where America opened its doors to more than 12 million immigrants, it is easy to understand why New Jersey and New York are engaged in a duel over which state has proper claim to the island. An ornate four-towered building from the turn of the century still marks the point that divided a foreigner's past and future.
"Every time I'm on that island, I feel like I'm walking in my late mother's footsteps," said Manny Strumpf, a federal worker whose job regularly takes him to the island. His mother arrived from Lithuania in early 1900 and, like the others, traveled from station to station in the once-clamorous halls for medical screening, and questions about work, financial means and moral fitness. This imposing main building, accented by copper domes and ornaments, is now a museum visited by close to 2 million people a year.
New York says the Ellis Island legacy began within its borders and the state's claim to the island should not be stripped away now, despite New Jersey officials' contentions that most of the 27-acre Ellis Island really belongs to them. Their dispute reaches the Supreme Court on Monday, when the justices will hear arguments over which state can claim that most of the island is within its boundaries.
To the victor will go political authority and regulation over a place at the core of America's historical identity. Because the federal government holds title to the land, it controls activities on the island and its preservation. But there is potential for a state to earn revenue from any future building and use of the island. Except for the renovated main building, which is operated by the National Park Service, the old immigration structures are dilapidated and most of the island is undeveloped. New York now collects sales taxes on items sold at the museum's shops, and New Jersey gets revenue from water, electricity and gas it provides the island. Strumpf, a spokesman for the park service's regional office, said each state gets about $500,000 a year from activities on the island.
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