In her book At America 's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943, Erika Lee convincingly argues that the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act is the start of the United States of America becoming a “gatekeeping” nation, no longer imagining itself as a nation open to all immigrants but instead a nation that carefully monitors who should be allowed to enter America and who should not. Yet Chinese Exclusion did more than simply display American desire to limit the immigration of a specific ethnic group; it created the very concept of “illegal immigrant.” However, this construction was not simply limited to those who entered the country illegally; it disproportionately targeted the Chinese due to their race. The use of racial discourses
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was fundamentally linked to illegal immigration. Their reactions and motivations to exclusion illustrated the complexity of the Chinese American community and its division along many axes, such as class and citizenship status. Many Chinese viewed it as their moral obligation to help other Chinese migrate and avoid the exclusion laws; some took part in smuggling in coaching documents in creative ways, such as inside peanut shells, orange peels, and barbeque pork buns (Lee 230-232). Others took part in the emerging business of producing and distributing coaching documents (Lee 229). However, the motives of such participation in such a business varied. Some may have genuinely believed in helping other Chinese evade the discriminatory laws; others may have been driven purely for profit and self-interest, like many immigration and government officials who openly supported exclusion yet were not opposed to taking …show more content…
Many informants and tips made to immigration authorities of supposed illegal immigrant presence were Chinese, who using the threat of exposing one’s supposed illegal status as a way to settle personal rivalries or intimidate competition (Lee 251). Immigrants entering as exempt classes such as merchants highlighted their contributions to the U.S, economy, the value of U.S. trade with China, and the honorable character of merchants, and demanded to be treated with courtesy, while shunning the “coolie” laborers who were “justly suspected of disease and vermin” and were deserving of harsh treatment by immigration officials (Lee 145-147). In essence, they protested the unfair treatment Exclusion brought upon the exempt classes, not the racist premise of Exclusion
was fundamentally linked to illegal immigration. Their reactions and motivations to exclusion illustrated the complexity of the Chinese American community and its division along many axes, such as class and citizenship status. Many Chinese viewed it as their moral obligation to help other Chinese migrate and avoid the exclusion laws; some took part in smuggling in coaching documents in creative ways, such as inside peanut shells, orange peels, and barbeque pork buns (Lee 230-232). Others took part in the emerging business of producing and distributing coaching documents (Lee 229). However, the motives of such participation in such a business varied. Some may have genuinely believed in helping other Chinese evade the discriminatory laws; others may have been driven purely for profit and self-interest, like many immigration and government officials who openly supported exclusion yet were not opposed to taking …show more content…
Many informants and tips made to immigration authorities of supposed illegal immigrant presence were Chinese, who using the threat of exposing one’s supposed illegal status as a way to settle personal rivalries or intimidate competition (Lee 251). Immigrants entering as exempt classes such as merchants highlighted their contributions to the U.S, economy, the value of U.S. trade with China, and the honorable character of merchants, and demanded to be treated with courtesy, while shunning the “coolie” laborers who were “justly suspected of disease and vermin” and were deserving of harsh treatment by immigration officials (Lee 145-147). In essence, they protested the unfair treatment Exclusion brought upon the exempt classes, not the racist premise of Exclusion