One of the shameful chapters of legislation in American history is the Chinese Exclusion Act which blocked most Chinese immigration from 1882 through 1943. It was racist and was driven to a great extent by labor unions (with only one union opposing it). Other workers resented the Chinese because of their incredible work ethic - they were tough to compete against.
It is also a black eye on the reputation of the US Supreme Court. “In U.S. vs Ju Toy (1905), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the port inspectors and the secretary of commerce had final authority on who could be admitted. Ju Toy's petition was thus barred despite the fact that the district court found that he was an American citizen. The Supreme Court determined that refusing entry at a port does not require due process.”(1)
The saying “America - Built By Immigrants” brings pride to most of us with immigrant ancestors. There is no question that we need to control our borders but this is one of those appalling episodes in our history.
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