The dark history of the Chinese Exclusion Act - Robert Chang

翻译人员: Shen Yi 校对人员: Helen Chang

After 12 years living in California,

旅居美国加利福尼亚州十二年后，

Chinese citizen Chae Chan Ping was ready for a visit home.

中国公民柴禅平准备回家看看。

He procured the necessary documents for his departure and return journey,

他好不容易备齐了 出境和入境的必要文书，

and set sail for China,

启航前往中国，

where he spent the next year reconnecting with friends and family.

而后用了一年时间 与中国的亲朋好友联络感情。

But when he returned to San Francisco on October 8th, 1888,

但是当柴禅平于 1888 年 10 月 8 日回到旧金山时，

Ping and his fellow immigrant passengers were forbidden to disembark.

他和其他同船的移民们被禁止上岸。

Just days earlier, President Grover Cleveland had signed the Scott Act,

就在几天前，格罗弗·克利夫兰总统 刚刚签署了斯科特法案。

which invalidated the legal documents allowing their re-entry

法案规定，允许他们 重新进入美国的法律文件

to the United States.

就此作废。

This policy threatened to separate families

这项政策使华人家庭骨肉分离，

and deprive Chinese immigrants of their homes and livelihoods.

也一并剥夺了他们的家园和生计。

Ping challenged the ruling,

柴禅平对这项裁决提出了挑战，

beginning a legal battle for the rights of thousands of Chinese immigrants.

开始了一场维护成千上万 华人移民利益的法律斗争。

But his case inspired an even more controversial policy

然而，这场官司却带来了一项 更具争议性的政策，

that continues to impact immigrants around the globe.

继续影响着全世界移民的权益。

Discrimination against Chinese immigrants had begun decades earlier,

几十年前，当加州的淘金热 创造了大量劳动力需求时，

when the California Gold Rush created a massive demand for labor.

对中国移民的歧视就开始了。

Initially, Chinese immigrants were welcomed as reliable workers

最开始，作为可靠的工人， 中国移民是受欢迎的。

and became essential parts of frontier communities.

他们也成为了边境社区 不可或缺的组成部分。

Many built railroads and worked in the mines,

许多中国人修铁路、挖矿石，

while others operated laundries, restaurants, and general stores.

其他经营着洗衣店、饭店和杂货铺。

The 1868 Burlingame Treaty even granted China favored trading status with the US,

1868年的《蒲安臣条约》 （中美天津条约续增条约）

甚至赋予了中国“贸易最惠国”的地位

and allowed unrestricted migration between the two countries.

并且允许两国之间自由移民。

But as large numbers of Chinese immigrants found success,

但是，当大量中国移民取得了成功后，

American workers began to see them as a threat.

美国工人开始把他们视作威胁。

Politicians and labor leaders denounced them for driving down wages,

政客和工人领袖 谴责他们降低了工资水平，

and violence against Chinese individuals became increasingly common.

针对中国人的暴力行为也越来越普遍。

This anti-Chinese sentiment soon found its way into California’s courts.

这种反华情绪迅速进入了加州的法庭。

In 1854, following a murder trial where a white man was convicted

1854 年，一个白人男性

of murdering a Chinese man,

因谋杀华人男子而被审判定罪，

the California Supreme Court overturned the conviction,

加州最高法院推翻了判决，

holding that Chinese eyewitness testimony was inadmissible.

认为华人目击者的证词 是不能被采纳的。

The court declared that Chinese citizens

法院宣布

中国公民不能指证白人被告，

could not testify against white defendants,

citing similar precedents forbidding testimony

援引禁止黑人和美国原住民

by Black and Native American individuals.

作证的先例。

This decision effectively legalized violence

这项决定实际上使针对 加州华人的暴力合法化了，

against California’s Chinese population,

inspiring mob attacks and campaigns for segregation.

引发了暴徒袭击和倡导 种族分离的运动。

Before long, anti-Chinese sentiment reached the federal level.

不久之后，联邦也受到了 反华情绪影响。

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act,

1882 年，国会通过了《排华法案》，

the first federal law that restricted immigration

这是第一部明确基于国籍

based explicitly on nationality.

限制移民的联邦法律。

In practice, the Act banned entry to all ethnically Chinese immigrants

在实际实施中，法案禁止 除外交官之外的所有中国移民

besides diplomats,

进入美国，

and prohibited existing immigrants from obtaining citizenship.

并且禁止现有的移民 获得美国公民的身份。

It also meant Chinese individuals couldn’t leave the United States and return

这也意味着华人如果不先申请好 重新进入的证明，

without first applying for a certificate of re-entry.

就不能离开再回到美国。

This policy remained in place until October 1st, 1888,

直到 1888 年 10 月 1 日， 这项政策才被废止。

when the Scott Act prohibited re-entry altogether,

到这时，斯科特法案全面禁止 重新进入美国的规定，

stranding Chae Chan Ping and thousands of other Chinese immigrants.

阻碍包括柴禅平在内的数以万计的 中国移民回到美国的步伐。

In court, Ping argued he had followed the proper protocol

在法庭上，柴禅平据理力争道， 他已经根据相应条款

obtaining his re-entry certificate,

备好了他重回美国的证明，

and the government had not honored his legally issued document.

而政府并没有承认他的合法文件。

This argument was strong enough to send his case all the way to the Supreme Court.

这一有力论据使他的案子 一路被送到最高法庭审判。

But the justices ruled against Ping,

但是，公正并没有站在柴禅平这一方，

invalidating thousands of legal re-entry certificates in one fell swoop.

而是一举使成千上万的 合法证明作废了。

The decision led to Ping’s deportation

这一决定致使柴禅平被驱逐出境，

and left up to 20,000 Chinese immigrants unable to return to the US.

多达两万中国移民无法重新回到美国。

But arguably even more important than the court’s racist ruling

然而按理说，比法庭 具有种族歧视色彩的裁决更讽刺的，

was the logic they used to support it.

是他们用以支撑裁决的逻辑。

Traditionally, the Supreme Court is considered a check

传统上，最高法院被认为是

on the other two branches of American government,

对美国政府其他两个分支的制约，

offering judgment on policies passed by Congress and the president.

对国会和总统通过的政策 合宪与否作出判决。

In this case however,

然而，在这一案件中，

the court stated they had no power to pass judgment on the Scott Act,

法院认为他们无权对 斯科特法案作出判断，

since Congress had declared the immigration policy

因为国会已经宣布移民政策是一项

“a matter of national security.”

关乎国家安全的政策。

This decision set a unique precedent.

这一裁决成为了一个独特的先例。

Unless Ping's case was overturned,

除非柴禅平的案件翻案，

congressional and executive branches could claim national security concerns

国会和行政机构就可以

以关乎国家安全为由通过任何移民法。

to pass whatever immigration laws they wanted.

Throughout the 20th century,

整个 20 世纪，

xenophobic government officials used this power to freely discriminate

仇外的政府官员 都用这项权力肆无忌惮地

against immigrant groups.

迫害移民群体。

The 1917 Asiatic Barred Zone Act prohibited the entry of all South Asians.

1917 年的《亚洲禁止区域法案》 禁止了所有南亚人进入美国。

And a series of immigration acts in the 1920s

20 世纪 20 年代的一系列移民法案，

expanded restrictions throughout Asia, Eastern Europe and southern Europe.

把禁令扩张到了 整个亚洲、东欧和南欧。

Many of these restrictions were lifted after World War II,

许多禁令在二战后撤销了。

and the Chinese Exclusion Act itself was finally repealed in 1943—

排华法案也终于在 1943 年被废止，

over 60 years after it was enacted.

此时已在实施 60 年后了。

But the US government continues to use this precedent

但美国政府继续利用这一先例

to deploy sudden and sweeping immigration policies,

来部署针对记者、 政见不合者和有色人种的

targeting journalists and dissidents as well as ethnic groups.

紧急、大规模移民政策。

Little is known about what became of Chae Chan Ping following his deportation.

柴禅平被驱逐出境后的情况 人们知之甚少。

But the injustices visited upon him and thousands of other Chinese Americans

但当年降临在他和其他数千名 华裔美国人身上的不公正待遇，

continue to impact immigrant rights and liberties.

继续影响着移民的权利与自由。