The Statue of Liberty, the New York landmark that has been an enduring symbol of freedom, welcoming immigrants to the US since it was opened in 1886, has seen a surge in visitors since the election of US president Donald Trump.
Nearly 170,000 people boarded the ferry service from Battery Park in Manhattan to Liberty Island and nearby Ellis Island in January, an 18 per cent rise over the same period last year, while February saw 171,000 visitors on the same service in February - a 15 per cent rise on the same month in 2016.
A mild winter in New York may have contributed to the increase, but both figures are the highest for Statue Cruises, the company operating the services, since 1991.
At the base of the famed statue overlooking New York Harbor is an evocative inscription from New Colossus by the US poet Emma Lazarus, which includes: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
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