NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on the closure of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to find state money to reopen the Statue of Liberty, which closed due to the federal government shutdown.
The National Park Service says the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” The U.S. Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight Friday deadline.
Cuomo called the statue “a symbol of America” whose closure reflects a government trying “to kick our immigrants.”
He says a state-level plan is in the works to reopen it.
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9 a.m.
The U.S. government shutdown had an instant impact on two of the world’s top tourist destinations: the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The National Park Service announced that both New York sites would be closed Saturday “due to a lapse in appropriations.” Late Friday, the Senate failed to approve legislation to keep the government from shutting down after the midnight deadline.
The park service said the closure of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island was effective immediately and until further notice.
For ticket refunds, visitors were instructed to contact the Statue Cruises company that runs ferries to the statue and Ellis Island, the historic entry point in New York Harbor for immigrants to the United States that is now a museum.
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