Rep. Chu seeks House acknowledgement of Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, introduced a resolution on Wednesday that would formally acknowledge and offer regrets for passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and other related laws around that time aimed at discouraging Chinese emigration.

Chu said Congress has never acknowledged the error of these laws, which were ultimately repealed around World War II, after China became an ally of the United States.

"These were the only such laws to target a specific ethnic group," Chu said, adding that her grandfather was a victim of these laws. "The Chinese were the only residents that had to carry papers on them at all times. They were often harassed and detained. If they couldn't produce the proper documents, authorities threw them into prison or out of the country, regardless of their citizenship status."

The Chinese Exclusion Act "has never been formally acknowledged by Congress as incompatible with America's founding principles," Chu added.

Chu noted that the act was approved in the Senate by a 76-1 vote, and that Sen. George Frisbie Hoar (R-Mass.) was the only senator to stand against the bill at the time.

"What Senator Hoar stood up for is what I am asking Congress to stand up for today: that all people, no matter the color of their skin or their nation of origin, are the equals of every other man or woman," she said.