Asians Were America’s First “Undocumented Immigrants”

The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act made Asians the nation’s first “undocumented immigrants.”

Connie Yu’s family story in the U.S. almost ended at the Angel Island Immigration Station, where her grandmother was detained for over a year, separated from her American-born children. In an atmosphere of nativism and hate, exclusionary laws have made Asians the nation’s first “undocumented immigrants.” Yet those who manage to stay, build families and communities in America.

AIR DATE 4/16/20

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Asians Were America’s First “Undocumented Immigrants”

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About Asian Americans

Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that will chronicle the contributions, and challenges of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing ethnic group in America. Personal histories and new academic research will cast a fresh lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans have played in it.

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