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Chang Chan et al. v. John D. Nagle (1925)



Under the Immigration Act of 1924, the wives should be refused admission because they are alien Chinese ineligible for citizenship. Despite their marriage to citizens of the United States, they would not become citizens and would remain incapable of naturalization.

This ruling clearly indicated that the U.S. government was acting to restrict Chinese immigration more stringently than that of many other immigrant groups. The Chinese American community reacted swiftly, with citizens' groups lobbying Congress to amend the Immigration Act of 1924 to enable Chinese wives to join their husbands in the U.S. In 1930, Congress finally responded to their pleas by passing legislation allowing those married before 1924 to enter the country. However, by that time, Chinese wives had already been barred from entry and from reuniting with their husbands for six years.

For a full summary of this case, go to:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl? court=us&vol=268&invol=346


© The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, 2005. All Rights Reserved.
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