Proposed Ending of Ferry Service from San Francisco to Angel Island and Historic Immigration Station

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 17, 2020) Last week, the Blue & Gold Fleet posted a service alert indicating they had filed applications to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for authorization to discontinue ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island as well as to Tiburon. The company noted operating losses and decreases in ticket sales over the past three years on these routes.

The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) is encouraging the public to submit comments to the CPUC as they review these applications. AIISF is one of the primary nonprofit organizations that has worked in partnership with Angel Island State Park to preserve the historic immigration station.

From 1910 to 1940, Angel Island (in San Francisco Bay) was the site of a US Immigration Station where over 500,000 persons from 80 different countries were processed and detained. While it’s East Coast counterpart at Ellis Island became a symbol of the nation’s welcoming of immigrants, Angel Island’s immigration station was built to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and similar immigration policies.

The former US Immigration Station at Angel Island was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997 and is often referred to as the Ellis Island of the West. In contrast to Ellis Island, however, Angel Island is a reminder of the nation’s historic efforts exclude certain groups of immigrants. After a multimillion dollar renovation, the site’s former hospital building has been transformed into the Angel Island Immigration Museum (www.aiisf.org/aiim) and is slated to open in 2021. The Museum will be free to visitors to explore and will mark the first-time ever that this building will be open to the general public in the site’s history.

“We are deeply concerned that if the Blue and Gold Fleet ends its ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island, this would significantly decrease visits to Angel Island and potentially jeopardize a historic site that has taken decades to restore,” stated Edward Tepporn, AIISF’s Executive Director. “Not having direct ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island would be equivalent to not having direct ferry service from Manhattan to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.”

Those who would like to submit a public comment to the CPUC on the application to end ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island can do so by visiting this link.

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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) raises awareness of the experience of Immigration into America through the Pacific. AIISF collects and preserves the rich stories and personal journeys of thousands of immigrants, and shares them with visitors and everyone living in America through education initiatives and public programs. Angel Island Immigration Station reminds us of the complicated history of immigration in America. It serves as a symbol of our willingness to learn from our past to ensure that our nation keeps its promise of liberty and freedom.

Media inquiries can be made to the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation’s main office at (415) 658-7691 or info@aiisf.org.