Scope and Contents

2 digtized prison ledgers containing the records of 681 Chinese immigrants that were arrested and jailed in Port Henry, NY between 1901-1903.

Abstract This oral history focusses on New York Law School Professor Claire Thomas and Mobilization for Justice staff attorney Ernie Collette, as they discuss their thoughts on the impact that the Golden Venture had on U.S. law, particularly on the 1996 Immigration Act that was enacted while the Golden Venture refugees were being detained, and the immigration and public benefits laws that followed. Thomas and Collette provide a broader overview of U.S. immigration law and the immigrant detention...

Abstract This oral history focuses on Jeff Lobach, who was the President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association at the time of the Golden Venture. He organized the lawyers who were trained for the purpose of defending the detainees of the Golden Venture. He speaks to his experience as a lawyer at the time, and how he faced frustrating rulings and resistance from the Justice Department. He worked to spread awareness about the Golden Venture at the time and discusses the significance of art and the...

Abstract This oral history focuses on Ti-Hua Chang, a Chinese American television news reporter who was the first journalist to cover the story of the Golden Venture when it ran aground off Rockaway Beach, Queens on June 6, 1993. He discusses how he was first informed about the Golden Venture and the process of reporting on the event. Chang recounts how the news station had brought in an anti-immigration lawyer to speak on the story, and how Chang felt compelled to speak up to counter the hate...