We have China to thank for in the evolution of the immigration service system in the United States. Until the Civil War between the Gray and the Blue, migrating to the United States was nothing but a walk-in process. One only needed to show up. In fact, forebears of the Qins (pronounced Chins, from where the word “China” came from), and the Hans (who called themselves people of the Middle Kingdom, Zhong Guo) crossed the Bering Straits a few millennia back to people the Americas.
One of the reasons for the revolt against George III was his interference with immigration to the colonies. The popular sentiment before the War of the States worded in the original treaty between the United States and China is reflected in this phrase: "inherent and inalienable right of man (sic) to change his home and allegiance." This is a radical statement today, and it already mirrored 1860s U.S. opinion, particularly in the Treaty of Tienjin and the Burlingame-Seward Treaty, albeit designed to favor U. S. trade in China rather than echo the understanding of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Reality in policy making was different from the railroad tracks where Chinese coolies were massively deployed, and the western gold mine fields where they were barred from mining though allowed to handle the laundry and the chow. Four Chinese were reported in the 1840 Census; by 1870, close to 65,000 were counted, with half of the male workers in California being Chinese.
That’s when the eurocentricity of American identity reared its ugly head. Already, the Naturalization Act of 1790 first restricted citizenship to “free white persons” of “good moral character.” Descendants of the pilgrims were partial to people of color! That set, Caucasians were unconditionally welcomed.
The Naturalization Act of 1870 barred the Chinese from gaining citizenship and the journey down to “yellow peril” and “yellow fever” followed close behind. United States immigration laws were designed to keep the Chinese out. Period. Do I need to repeat that? That the federal government bothered to act on immigration at all, not one of its specified constitutional functions, testifies to the racial intensity surrounding the passage of the Act and subsequently acted immigration bills since. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 turned the policy of “inherent and inalienable right of man” on its head. Chinese migration was halted for a decade and naturalization was denied. It also created the first “green card,” a document Chinese had to have if they traveled to China, in order to return to the U.S. Ex-Europeans were not required to carry the same.
Ten years later, Ellis Island would open its arms to immigrants from northern Europe, but not so fast on Italians and the Jews. Tan skin did not quite pass muster at the height of social Darwinism where the Aryan race was adjudged superior to any descendant of the primordial primates, particularly those coming from southern Europe and North Africa, and the Fertile Crescent!
The French honored the United States with a gift in the centennial celebration of American Independence with La Liberté Éclairant le Monde, popularly known as the Statue of Liberty. Portion of Emma Lazarus’ poem of the New Colossus, written two years before the official Statue inauguration, would be etched on a bronze plaque at the base of the statue at the turn of the century. It reads:
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Great moving words for prospective immigrants! Bah, hambug! If NY’a Ellis Island facilitated entry into the U.S., the Immigration Station at Angel Island in the Bay of San Francisco delayed and barred entry of Asians into the United States in the first half of the 1900s. What started as Chinese exclusion would spread to other “subordinate” races; Filipinos were barred U.S. citizenship as a U.S. Commonwealth in 1935, and hurriedly disenfranchised as nationals on 1946 Fourth of July.
I rehash these historical marks for our foreign contingent in the CNMI waiting for federalization to happen after 11.28.09 just so we understand that the urban legend of the U.S. Immigration doling out visas come December to everyone with status in the CNMI, similar to the Reagan fiat of citizenship in 1986, is not going to happen. Nor do we expect the eurocentric orientation of policies to be lifted out soon in spite of this week’s Obama declaration that he is the first Pacific President of the nation. If it does, I will commit seppuku on Banzai Cliff as homage to the shrine’s kamikaze force.
It seems ironic that centrally managed economies seem to fair better in the equity scale at the distributive end of the “free market” than their democratic counterparts. Communist China’s economic boom, impressive as it has been, however, benefits only about 20 percent of its population. The remaining 80 percent are in rural areas, low-income sections of urban areas, or are seeking ways to migrate elsewhere. Preferred destination is the United States.
The CNMI has a U.S. zip code, ergo a preferred destination. In a recruitment company in Jiangsu Province that sought garment workers for places like Madagascar and Morocco, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Korea and Japan, Vietnam and Thailand, the most requested destination was the United States. In fact, workers actually paid for the privilege of coming to Saipan, much like the way the maître d’ in fancy restaurants actually collects a fee from waiters who wish to work at high-priced eateries. Some of those who took out loans and emptied savings to come here, including students and tourists, peons and paupers, are still here, waiting for the green federalization flash to flicker and flare.
There has been wailing and gnashing of teeth in the colorful journey of U.S. immigration. The Republican Congress of 1996 included draconian measures that made sure those citizens and permanent residents sponsoring immigrants are obligated to support them for life. Bill Clinton signed the law.
Chamolinians have a chance to reverse American history. Since they already ceded the best real estate of the Tapochau ridge to “foreigners,” would they enable the integration of their foreign neighbors into the NMI-American family? Would you?
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