Angel Island Research Paper

With more than 300,000 people from 80 countries passing through, Angel Island, located off the coast of San Francisco, was a busy station in the 1900s. Few of the immigrants that passed through Angel Island were greeted with smiles and a warm welcome. Those from countries like Russia, Japan, Australia, China, Mexico and many others “found themselves in the island's detention barracks upon arrival”. Among these was a young, poor Chinese man traveling under a false name who wanted a better life.
31-year-old Wong Chung Hong arrived in San Francisco on the steamship China on January 22, 1910. “A Chinese merchant with partnerships in a general merchandise store and a dried fruit business in and around Canton, Wong hoped to expand his business in the United States”. However, before he could do this, he had to pass the U.S. government’s immigration inspection at Angel Island, one of the 19 immigration stations set up on the eastern side of America in the 1900s. Wong gave the immigration inspector his papers and answered their questions. Wong’s picture on his papers showed him dressed in rich clothes which showed his wealth and status. This and the fact that Wong was carrying $500 and was headed to a market in California, left a good impression of the inspector. Three days later, …show more content…
The working class family came to Angel Island in hopes of a better life. However, the “immigration officials unanimously voted to exclude the entire family on the grounds that they were ‘likely to become public charges’”. Catarino was said to look scrawny and “not at all rugged”. Esther was pregnant and the officials said she could not work because of this. The three young sons were said to be “illy nourished and poorly developed”. While detained at Angel Island, Esther gave birth to twins. Two months after arriving at Angel Island, the Lopez family was sent back to