Abstract In this interview, the narrator relates her life story with a backdrop of generations of her family history. She describes Vietnam, living in Saigon, the Vietcong takeover, the process of her family fleeing, and immigrating to America as a refugee. The narrator discusses her entrepreneurial pursuits by evaluating each business that she started along with each demise. She looks at the real estate business in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn; providing general rent information and...

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

In this oral history interview, Genia Blaser shares her experience working as a staff attorney at the Immigrant Defense Project and how her work informs contemporary immigration laws and policies. She talks about how she is connected to the Golden Venture story and what must be done to bring about meaningful change to help at-risk immigrant communities in the United States today.

Abstract This oral history focuses on Mary Studzinski, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC) in York County, Pennsylvania. Mary discusses the history and role of PIRC in serving immigrants in detention, which began in response to the Golden Venture. The organization’s operations include educating immigrants about their legal options and guiding them through the asylum application process. She also discusses how circumstances have changed for immigrants under...

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...