A Family Separated by the Exclusion Act
A local woman, born in the U.S., faces deportation to China after visiting her dying mother in Victoria.
The habeas corpus case of Mrs. Lee Fook Pow was continued by Judge Hanford. Despite her husband's claim that she was born in this country twenty-five years ago and had lived here continuously, she was ordered deported to China by a U.S. Commissioner in Port Townsend after returning from a brief trip to visit her dying mother in Victoria, B.C. The case illustrates the harsh impact of exclusionary immigration policies on long-term residents and families during this era.
“She was ordered deported to China by United States Commissioner Swan, of Port Townsend, although her husband says she was born in this country.”
This case underscores the cruel inconsistencies of the Chinese Exclusion Act era, where legal residency and birthright were frequently ignored by customs officials, tearing families apart based on border crossings.
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