The U.S. island considered the "Ellis Island of the West" is Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, California. Angel Island served as the main immigration processing center on the West Coast in the early 1900s, much like Ellis Island did on the East Coast. It was the entry point for many Asian immigrants and operated as an immigration station from 1910 to 1940. Unlike Ellis Island, where immigrants were often welcomed and processed quickly, Angel Island was known for detaining many immigrants, especially Chinese, due to restrictive immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act. Immigrants could be held for weeks, months, or even years on Angel Island, and the experience was often more harsh compared to Ellis Island.