Table of Contents
What immigrants did Angel Island process?
On the west coast, between 1910 and 1940, most were met by the wooden buildings of Angel Island. These immigrants were Australians and New Zealanders, Canadians, Mexicans, Central and South Americans, Russians, and in particular, Asians.
What groups landed at Angel Island?
It functioned as both an immigration and deportation facility, at which some 175,000 Chinese and about 60,000 Japanese immigrants were detained under oppressive conditions, generally from two weeks to six months, before being allowed to enter the United States. Angel Island Immigration Station, c.
Who were the main immigrants arriving at Angel Island?
Widely known as the “Ellis Island of the West” the station differed from Ellis Island in one important respect – the majority of immigrants processed on Angel Island were from Asian countries, specifically China, Japan, Russia and South Asia (in that order).
What was the difference in processing time between Ellis Island and Angel Island?
“Most European immigrants processed through Ellis Island spent only a few hours or at most a few days there,” Yung and Lee write, “while the processing time for Asian, especially Chinese, immigrants on Angel Island was measured in days or weeks.” As historian Maria Sakovich wrote, “penniless Russians at this time were …
Why were processing stations on Ellis Island and Angel Island established?
Originally built to process an anticipated flood of European immigrants entering the United States through the newly opened Panama Canal, the Immigration Station on Angel Island opened on Jan. 21, 1910, in time for World War I and the closing of America’s “open door” to stem the tide of these immigrants from Europe.
Was Angel Island worse than Ellis Island?
The immigrants at Ellis Island were treated more equally than those at Angel Island. They underwent a 60 second physical evaluation and if they passed then they spoke to a government inspector. Immigrants at Angel Island were not treated fairly. They were detained for long periods of time in filthy living conditions.