Which nearby island is part of Statue of Liberty National Monument?

Ellis Island is the nearby island that forms part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

The national monument includes both Liberty Island, home of the statue, and Ellis Island, the historic immigration station in New York Harbor. Visitors commonly visit the two islands on the same ferry trip, although they are separate places with distinct histories and attractions.

Ellis Island became part of the monument through a presidential proclamation by Lyndon B. Johnson on May 11, 1965. Its main immigration station processed about 12 million immigrants from 1892 to 1954. Today, the island’s north side contains the National Museum of Immigration, while portions of the former hospital complex on the south side are available through guided tours.

Staten Island, Roosevelt Island, and Governors Island are all real New York-area islands, which makes them plausible distractors. None is included in this national monument. Liberty Island itself was formerly called Bedloe’s Island and was officially renamed by Congress in 1956.