The Geary Act and the Opening of Ellis Island
The Geary Act strengthened the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 by extending for another ten years the ban on Chinese immigrants becoming citizens. 1892 also marked the opening of Ellis Island, which became the country’s primary immigration station. It processed 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954.
The Geary Act of 1892 renewed for ten years the prohibition against the naturalization of Chinese immigrants and required Chinese laborers to carry a resident permit at all times to prove that they had entered the country legally. Failure to do so could result in detention and deportation. The Geary Act also prohibited Chinese immigrants from serving as witnesses in support of a Chinese person’s immigration status, nor could they receive bail in habeas corpus proceedings. These provisions expanded the federal government’s control over immigration. Chinese residents challenged the requirements in the case Fong Yueting vs. the United States but lost in the Supreme Court.
In 1902, when the Geary Act extension expired, Chinese exclusion was made permanent.
