The dark history of the Chinese Exclusion Act - Robert Chang

譯者: 至磊Zi Le 黃Ng 審譯者: Helen Chang

After 12 years living in California,

在加利福尼亞居住十二年後，

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

中國公民柴禪平 準備回家鄉一趟。

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

他取得了去程和回程的必要文件，

and set sail for China,

啟航駛往中國，

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

隔年他在中國和親朋好友重聚。

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

1888 年 10 月 8 日 禪平回到舊金山，

Ping and his fellow immigrant passengers were forbidden to disembark.

卻和其他中國移民 一起被禁止下船。

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

就在幾天前，克里夫蘭總統 簽署《史考特法案》，

which invalidated the legal documents allowing their re-entry

將他們重新入境美國的 法律文件作廢。

to the United States.

This policy threatened to separate families

這項政策威脅拆散家庭

and deprive Chinese immigrants of their homes and livelihoods.

並剝奪中國移民的家園和生計。

Ping challenged the ruling,

禪平挑戰這個判決，

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

打起法律戰，

維護數千名中國移民的權利。

But his case inspired an even more controversial policy

但他的官司激起了 另一個更具爭議性的政策，

that continues to impact immigrants around the globe.

持續影響來自全球的移民。

Discrimination against Chinese immigrants had begun decades earlier,

對中國移民的歧視開始於幾十年前，

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

加利福尼亞淘金熱 創造大量勞力需求。

Initially, Chinese immigrants were welcomed as reliable workers

工作可靠的中國移民最初深受歡迎，

and became essential parts of frontier communities.

成為拓荒者族群中 不可或缺的一部分。

Many built railroads and worked in the mines,

很多人興建鐵路或挖礦，

while others operated laundries, restaurants, and general stores.

其他人開設洗衣店、餐廳、雜貨店。

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

1868 年的《蒲安臣條約》 甚至給予中國最惠國待遇，

and allowed unrestricted migration between the two countries.

允許兩國之間自由移民。

But as large numbers of Chinese immigrants found success,

但當許多中國移民獲致成功，

American workers began to see them as a threat.

美國工人開始將其視為威脅。

Politicians and labor leaders denounced them for driving down wages,

政治人物和勞工領袖 譴責他們拉低薪資，

and violence against Chinese individuals became increasingly common.

對華人的暴力也越來越常見。

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

排華的情緒很快就找到方法 進入加利福尼亞的法庭。

在 1854 年的一件謀殺審判中，

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

一位白人因為殺害了 一名華人男性而被定罪，

of murdering a Chinese man,

the California Supreme Court overturned the conviction,

加利福尼亞最高法院 卻推翻原來的判決，

holding that Chinese eyewitness testimony was inadmissible.

認為華裔目擊證人的證詞不足採信。

The court declared that Chinese citizens

法庭宣告中國公民 不能作證控告白人，

could not testify against white defendants,

citing similar precedents forbidding testimony

援引禁止黑人與美洲原住民 作證的類似先例。

by Black and Native American individuals.

This decision effectively legalized violence

這個判決實際上合法化了

針對加利福尼亞華人的暴力行徑，

against California’s Chinese population,

inspiring mob attacks and campaigns for segregation.

激勵暴民發動攻擊並鼓吹種族隔離。

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

不久後，排華的情緒到達聯邦層級。

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act,

1882 年國會通過 《排華法案》，

the first federal law that restricted immigration

這是第一部明確以國籍 限制移民的聯邦法律。

based explicitly on nationality.

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

實務上《排華法案》禁止 所有華裔移民入境，

besides diplomats,

除了外交官，

and prohibited existing immigrants from obtaining citizenship.

也阻止現有移民取得公民權。

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

這也代表中國人離開 美國後不能返回，

without first applying for a certificate of re-entry.

除非事先申請申請重新入境的證明。

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

這項政策持續施行， 直到 1888 年 10 月 1日，

when the Scott Act prohibited re-entry altogether,

《史考特法案》完全禁止重新入境，

stranding Chae Chan Ping and thousands of other Chinese immigrants.

阻斷柴禪平和其他數千名中國移民。

In court, Ping argued he had followed the proper protocol

禪平在法庭主張他依循正當程序

obtaining his re-entry certificate,

取得重新入境的證明，

and the government had not honored his legally issued document.

而政府卻未兌現依法發布的文件。

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

這項論點強大得足以將本案 一路送進最高法院，

But the justices ruled against Ping,

但大法官作出對他不利的判決，

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

一舉使數千份合法的 重新入境證明作廢。

The decision led to Ping’s deportation

這個判決帶來對禪平的驅逐令，

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

使得多達兩萬名中國移民無法返美。

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

但比法庭種族主義的判決更重要的

was the logic they used to support it.

大概是他們用以支持的邏輯。

Traditionally, the Supreme Court is considered a check

傳統上最高法院被視為

對美國政府行政和立法部門的檢核，

on the other two branches of American government,

offering judgment on policies passed by Congress and the president.

為國會和總統通過的政策作出判決。

In this case however,

然而在這個案例中，

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

法庭聲稱他們無權 裁決《史考特法案》，

since Congress had declared the immigration policy

因為國會已宣告移民政策是

“a matter of national security.”

「國家安全問題」。

This decision set a unique precedent.

這個判決開了先例。

Unless Ping's case was overturned,

除非禪平的案子被推翻，

congressional and executive branches could claim national security concerns

否則國會和行政部門 可以宣稱是為了國安疑慮，

to pass whatever immigration laws they wanted.

通過任何他們想要的移民法律。

Throughout the 20th century,

整個二十世紀，

xenophobic government officials used this power to freely discriminate

仇外的政府官員利用這一權力

任意歧視移民族群。

against immigrant groups.

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

1917 年《亞洲人禁區法》 禁止所有南亞人民入境。

And a series of immigration acts in the 1920s

1920 年代一連串移民法案

expanded restrictions throughout Asia, Eastern Europe and southern Europe.

將限制擴張到亞洲、 東歐、南歐等地。

Many of these restrictions were lifted after World War II,

這些限制很多在二戰後取消了，

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

《排華法案》本身 則終於在 1943 年廢除——

over 60 years after it was enacted.

距離開始施行超過六十年。

But the US government continues to use this precedent

但美國政府持續利用這個先例

to deploy sudden and sweeping immigration policies,

部署突如其來而全面的移民政策，

targeting journalists and dissidents as well as ethnic groups.

針對記者、異見人士、特定種族。

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

我們對柴禪平被逐的後事所知甚少，

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

但他和其他數千名 美國華人遭逢的不公

continue to impact immigrant rights and liberties.

持續影響著移民的權利和自由。