天使岛的历史

西部的埃利斯岛

在一个周末的夏日, 贝博体彩app湾的晨雾升起, China Cove on the northeastern shore of Angel Island State Park is washed in sunlight–tranquil except for the laughter of children playing on 小 stretch of sandy beach and the voices of 200 to 300 visitors.

对于大多数第一次来的游客, the cove is another 风景如画的 spot from which to picnic and watch tankers and yachts sail by. 对于其他了解这座岛历史的人来说，这个小海湾是个奇景. But to those whose relatives passed through the old immigration barracks on the north slope of the cove, 小, 通风良好的, 木结构建筑——光秃秃的、稀疏的——代表着“西部的埃利斯岛”."

天使岛常常被它更著名的姐妹岛所掩盖， 阿尔卡特拉斯岛. Activities and attractions offered on the island include picnic sites with breathtaking views, 在海湾和海滩钓鱼和日光浴, 徒步小径穿过树木繁茂的地形, 在五英里长的环城公路上骑自行车, 野营, 历史悠久的军事遗址和建筑以及教育电车之旅. 然而，最受欢迎的景点是老房子 中国湾入境站.

What these newcomers found when they reached America was discrimination and a series of restrictive anti-Asian laws, 包括1882年的《排华法案. Although all Asians were affected, 97% of the immigrants processed through Angel Island were Chinese.

1906年的地震和火灾摧毁了证明公民身份的记录, many Chinese residents of California were able to claim citizenship for themselves and dozens of "paper children."

公民身份文件随后被出售给未来的移民. Entire villages would often purchase papers for one representative in the hopes that he would return from "Gam Saan,或“金山”,并分享他期望的财富. Immigration officials responded to this deception by detaining all working-class Chinese immigrants for interrogation.

这些访谈中的典型问题包括:

• 到你家有几级楼梯?
• 你有多少只鸡?
• 背诵你的家族史.

那些与“纸上父母”的回答不符的人被驱逐出境.

According to Immigration Station docents, almost 10% of the detainees were deported. 而不是被遣送回他们的村庄, 他们汇集了微薄的资源来购买公民身份文件, 许多被驱逐者结束了自己的生命.

中国移民被关押在天使岛数周, 个月, 甚至数年等待听证会或上诉. 与此形成鲜明对比的是, immigrants passing through Ellis Island on American's east coast—who were generally European—were processed within hours or days and merely had to pass medical exams.

在现在稀疏通风的房间里, one can only imagine the isolation and lack of privacy each detainee was forced to endure. 挤在三层楼高的铺位上, the men and women imprisoned in the cramped "dormitories" lived in constant distrust of each other.

女厕所, 这里发生了许多自杀事件, 涂上新漆后，看起来很明亮，几乎令人愉快. 然而, visitors are chilled by the building’s draftiness—or is it the thought of unhappy ghosts trapped on this island of immortals?

Although complaints about unsatisfactory conditions and mistreatment were filed frequently—the first filed only a few days after the station opened—bureaucrats were slow to address the charges and did not abandon the detention center until a fire on Aug. 1940年12月12日，行政大楼被毁.

三个月后，11月11日. 5, a group of Chinese immigrants—125 men and 19 women—were loaded onto ferries and transferred to temporary quarters in South San Francisco.

在这个看似平常的日子里，一个悲伤而痛苦的时代结束了. 西部的埃利斯岛终于关上了大门.

For the thousands of Chinese immigrants who passed through the Angel Island Immigration Station, 这是一个最好被遗忘的时代. 总的来说, 以前被拘留的人不愿意谈论他们的经历, 宁愿让这一历史篇章结束.

在移民站关闭50多年后, 终于有了结论的感觉. / 2,000 former detainees have been able to return to their island prison to make peace with the past.

“我们终于到达了金山,周星驰说, former chairman of the Angel Island Immigration Station Historical Advisory Committee. “我们会留在这里. 我们是美国的一部分, 就像欧洲人一样,他谈到华裔美国人时说. “我们已经把痛苦抛在脑后. 现在，我们可以自由地翻开亚裔美国人历史的新篇章."