The Bureaucratic Limbo of Chinese Laborers in Transit
A legal opinion from the Attorney General clarifies the treatment of Chinese laborers attempting to pass through U.S. ports, stalling those stuck in New Orleans.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Washington, D.C., July 17—The Attorney General has provided an opinion regarding the transit of Chinese laborers through U.S. territory. In response to inquiries from the Secretary of the Treasury regarding Chinese laborers currently held at the port of New Orleans—who are awaiting a decision on whether they may pass through to San Francisco to embark for China—the Attorney General clarified that existing exclusion acts apply. The opinion concludes that such transit is restricted by federal law, citing the act of May 6, 1882, and subsequent amendments, which the department has consistently interpreted to prohibit the passage of laborers despite the pending status of new treaties.
“I have been able to find no other legislation bearing materially upon the question.”
This story highlights the volatile state of anti-Chinese legislation in the 1880s, where federal policy was caught in a cycle of interpretation and exclusion. It echoes today's ongoing debates regarding border policy, the rights of transient individuals, and the heavy reliance on administrative rule-making to manage immigration.
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