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Wong Kim Ark in El Paso: Investigating Chinese Immigrants Who Crossed the U.S.

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Shouyue Zhang’s research examines a little-known chapter of U.S. immigration history by shifting attention from the Pacific Coast to the U.S.–Mexico border. Beginning with the startling 1901 arrest of Wong Kim Ark—despite his Supreme Court–affirmed U.S. citizenship—this talk explores how Chinese exclusion laws were enforced in Texas and along the southern border from the 1890s through the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on more than one hundred immigration interviews, the presentation uncovers the lived experiences of Chinese migrants and families navigating interrogation, deportation, and hybrid national identities. By tracing how exclusion practices evolved into enduring border control mechanisms, the talk reveals how this region shaped modern U.S. immigration policy. It also highlights the social mobility of later-generation Chinese Texans and their transnational influence. Connecting past and present, this research offers timely insights into contemporary debates on citizenship, borders, and migration.

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Center for Chinese Studies, Mānoa Campus

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