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Angel Island (AI), Stories of experience of Angel Island, How does Angel…
Angel Island (AI)
Interrogations
- The interrogations had 2 immigrant inspectors
- a stenographer
- and a translater if needed
- these interrogations would take several hours to several days
- the questions they asked were about details of home life, their village, and family
- immigrants family in the United States would also have to know these details
- if they did not relay and confirm the exact same details, both of the parties were at grave risk for deportation
- the questions they asked were made to stump them, asking questions like "how many windows were in your house?" or " how many feet was it from your house to the backyard?"
The "End"
- The Angel Island building burned down in November 1940
- all applicants were moved to the mainland
- Although the building burned down, the island was still used
- Angel Island was used after 1940 for the internment of Japanese
- 700 Japanese immigrants were removed from Hawaii to the mainland
- And 600 of those immigrants were previously detained for AI
- at least 98 mainland Japanese immigrants were arrested and brought to AI
- Some immigrants were brought to another Immigration facility called Sharp Park/ if you were deemed dangerous you were sent to AI
- If you were not deemed dangerous, you were sent to an Army Departement of Justice camps
- Army Departement of Justice camps were located in Arizona, Arkansas, and California
- They were seen as internees of the U.S. Governement
-The Angel Island was used during World War 2
- "enemy aliens" were housed in AI with other prisoners of war
- however, they would only hold them for a couple of weeks
- until they were sent to more permanent camps/ this was mostly men
- Angel Island was an immigration center from 1910-1940
- It was a product of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and also a product of in inflow of immigration
- Located on the West Coast, San Francisco Bay
- known as the "West Coast Ellis Island"
Immigration
- Immigrants from all around made a stop at Angel Island
- It ranged from Australians, South Americans, Mexicans, and most importantly Asians
- Angel Island was the stop you made before going to the mainland ( San Francisco )
Process before AI
- Before arriving in San Francisco they would separate immigrants based off of their nationality/ race
- European immigrants who had more money and a higher class ticket were allowed to disembark from the boat
- leaving a majority of Asians and Latinx people to go to Angel Island
Arrival
- there was a station created just for Chinese and Asian
immigrants
- This station prevented immigrants from communicating with family members and friends from the mainland
- 1st step was arriving at the administration building
- there they would separate men from the women and children
-after, they would "medically" examine everyone
- they forced them to disrobe and were probed with and measured with calipers
- If you "failed" the medical inspection you could either be hospitalized or deported ( both a big risk)
- they then were assigned bunks in very dirty and miserable living conditions
Trial
- If the immigrants family or friends in the United States were not local, waiting for a trial would take several weeks or months
-It would even take years to get a trail if applicant was rejected
- Was known to be like Alcatraz Island because it was inescapable
- Majority of Asian + South Asian Immigrants stayed at Angel Island
- ( basically people who were not white passing)
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How does Angel Island Connect to Religion, Race, Nation?
Fascism and Nordicism plays a huge role in the Eugenics movement, which created more oppression towards minorities
- Nordicisim - Northern Europeans were genetically superior
Who was nordic?- Anglo Saxans, Causasions, Teutonics ( White Christian people)
The United States is Christian white America
- meaning, if you are not white, or Christian, you are unwelcome
- Even if you were born in America, just like Russel Jeung's Grandfather, because he was not white, he was sent to Angel Island
- America did not care if you were a citizen, they rooted you out for your race
- Asian Americans/ minorities have continuously faced uplift suasion for generations
Angel Island was one of many creations of America to torture minorities
- to repent and make them feel unwelcome
- yet as a country we would not be where we are today if it was not for slaves and immigrants
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Why
Before Chinese Exclusion act
- before; mass amount of immigration from Asia and Europe
- Chinese immigrants came to work as miners, working on farms, and building the transcontinental railroad
- Federal government was not involved with regulation/ left it up to the states (until 1870's)
- the eugenics movement was rising
- fear of "contamination" of the white race
- leaving Chinese immigrants ( and everyone not white) a threat
- the economic downfall was blamed on immigrants ( we see this in the future as a consistent claim)
-In 1875 the Page Act was made
- this blocked Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian women immigrants from entry to the U.S.
- this was because of the women being brought in for prostitution
Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
- this law further prevented Chinese workers to come to the U.S. and prevented them becoming naturalized citizens
- was the first federal law that prevented entrace to the country based on race and class
- the Chinese Exclusion act was repealed in 1942
But...
- Chinese and Asian immigrants struggled for equal footing for immigration until 1965
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