Living Asian & Pacific American (APA) Immigration Timeline

I. 1860s: Chinese were the first Asians to immigrate to the U.S. in large numbers; they were brought in to fill labor gaps, develop California’s agriculture, mining, and other industries, and work construction on the railroads. Many whites met them with violence and called for their exclusion.

II. 1882: The Chinese Exclusion Act was the only U.S. immigration legislation at the time that excluded a group based on race. The only exceptions were Chinese born here and their sons. Immigrants claiming to be the sons of Chinese born in the U.S. were called “paper sons” and may be considered the first undocumented population. Chinese Exclusion lasted until 1943, at the end of World War II.

III. 1924: The National Origins Act excluded forever any “alien ineligible for citizenship.” In 1870 Chinese, Indian, Korean and Japanese had already been ruled ineligible for citizenship so all Asians (except for Filipinos –the Philippines was a U.S. territory) were excluded.

IV. 1942: The Internment of Japanese Americans: After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and declaration of war on Japan in 1941, the United States issued Executive Order 9066 that assigned specific military areas to board over 100,000 Japanese and their American-born descendants, none of them having committed any crime. They were exiled from their homes and excluded from the rest of society. These internment camps divided families, were in horrific conditions, and denied basic human rights for an entire race of people.   

V. 1965: Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Celler Act) allows resurgence of Asian immigration: An opportunity to improve the labor economy, the new immigration law of 1965 abolished the “national origins” basis for the immigration quota system. This immigration reform was a profound point in time that led to the steady increase of immigrants from Asia in the United States.

VI. 1975: The first wave of Southeast Asian refugees arrives in the U.S. Many – Vietnamese, Hmong – fought alongside U.S. troops in the Southeast Asian wars. Others – such as Cambodians - were victims of the U.S. enemies. Some Americans helped resettle the refugees; others called them “gooks,” burned their homes and murdered them.

VII. 1996: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA): Enacted grounds of eligibility for removal of and allowed the mass deportations of immigrants, such as those from the Cambodian American community who emigrated to the U.S. as refugees when they were as young as babies.  It also created Section 287 (g), allowing city police to enforce federal Immigration Laws (i.e. allowing Sheriff Arpaio of Arizona to start his “Tent Cities”).

VIII. 2001: Patriot Act and other post-9/11 Legislation: caused racial tensions and climate of fear and hate, particularly, against the South Asian communities. Incidences of hate crimes against South Asians increase. More stringent enforcement of 1996 IIRAIRA through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cause the detainment and start of removal proceedings for many immigrants.

IX. 2009: Department of Homeland Security estimates the number of undocumented Asian American immigrants as 1 million, about 10% of the Asian American population. 

X. Today: Arizona’s recent legislation cast a huge shadow over immigrants. Arizona’s SB1070 mandates that law enforcement racially profile anyone suspected of being undocumented by demanding proof of citizenship. Chinese Americans are the second largest population of people crossing the Arizona/Mexico border. Arizona’s actions have inspired similar efforts in other states, including in our own state. We must support SIM and ourselves, and fight the Massachusetts Senate anti-immigrant amendments (SA172.1)