The medical inspections were done in the Great Hall and were done so quickly that people began to call these medical inspections “six second physicals.”  Most of the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island were treated with courtesy and respect.  Only two percent of the immigrants who came to Ellis Island hoping to become American were excluded from entering.  The main reason for exclusion was if the Ellis Island doctors diagnosed an immigrant who had a contagious disease that could harm the people who lived in America. Ellis Island was closed at one point during World War I because the island had to be used as a place to hold suspected alien radicals.  The island was then reopened as an immigration processing center in 1920.

In that year 225, 206 immigrants passed through Ellis Island with the goal of living in America.  Throughout the years, Ellis Island has been used for many different things, but it will always be remembered as the greatest gateway to America in history.  In November of 1954, the last immigrant passed through Ellis Island.  The man’s name was Arne Peterssen, a Norwegian merchant seaman.  After he passed through, the renowned processing center officially closed.  In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson made it publicly known that Ellis Island would be part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.  It was open to the public on a limited basis between 1976 and 1984.  The monument was then closed once again for a major restoration.  The $160 million dollar project was the largest historic restoration in United States history.  The restoration was completed and the main building was reopened as a museum on September 10, 1990.  About two million tourists visit the museum annually.