In The Shadows is about overcoming exclusion and enduring detention. A diverse range of historical and contemporary stories explores the impact of divisive laws on individual lives and American culture. The exhibit is housed in one of the hospital’s historic women’s wards. Below, you will read the stories of those included in this exhibit.
Japanese, Chinese, and possibly other Asian women stayed in this room while undergoing medical treatment. Asians were segregated from Europeans in the hospital, reflecting the racial bias of the time. Female patients were also kept separate from male patients. Designed to be beneficial to health and healing by maximizing air circulation and sunlight, this space features high ceilings and large windows.
Learn more about the hospital in the Saving the Hospital gallery.
KANE MINETA
A NEW LIFE AS A PICTURE BRIDE
In 1914, Kane Watanabe arrived at Angel Island to meet her husband for the first time. The 20-year-old’s marriage to Kunisaku Mineta, a Japanese immigrant living in California, had been arranged through letters and photographs.
Kane was one of more than 10,000 “picture brides” who left everything behind to marry a man she had never met.
At the immigration station, Kane was examined and interrogated. Kunisaku, a farmer, presented documentation that he would be able to provide for his new wife. He also showed officials a letter from Yasutaro Numano, acting consul general of Japan, declaring that Kunisaku was “a man of good character.”
Most foreign marriages were accepted as legitimate by the American government. But “picture brides” like Kane were required to re-marry in the US.
Kane’s first home in America was her new husband’s farm in Salinas, California. Kunisaku fell ill during the 1918 influenza pandemic and he could no longer work on the farm. So the Minetas moved to San Jose, and Kunisaku went into the insurance business. California Alien Land laws prohibited Asian immigrants from owning property, so a white attorney bought land in San Jose on the Minetas’ behalf in 1928. The couple built a home that same year and started a family.
The youngest of their five children, Norman Mineta, became the first Asian American to hold a post in a presidential cabinet. He served as secretary of commerce under President Bill Clinton and as secretary of transportation under President George W. Bush.
WING GEE
PAPER SONS AND FAMILY SECRETS
Wing Gee was born in China in 1941. Wing barely knew his father, Gee Sun, who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1936 with fraudulent documents. He was one of thousands of “paper sons” claiming to be the blood relative of a U.S. citizen to bypass the Chinese Exclusion Act.
In 1940, Sun traveled back to China and married Wing’s mother May before returning to America and serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. When Wing was six years old, he and his mother left their village behind to join Sun in the US.
“I remember going under the Golden Gate. It was shrouded with fog.”
With his father’s false documents, Wing was admitted to the U.S. on October 1, 1947, as an “American citizen born abroad.” His mother entered the US under the War Brides Act, which admitted spouses of US service members. The family settled in Oroville, California. Wing learned English and adapted to life in America. While applying for college scholarships as a high school student, he learned about his undocumented status for the first time. To achieve his goals, Wing applied for naturalization and became a citizen.
“At that age, there’s no grasp of citizenship. I didn’t realize someone could be kicked out of the country.”
In 1962, Wing’s father applied for amnesty through the Chinese Confession Program, which offered “paper sons” the potential of citizenship in exchange for details on their blood relatives and “paper” families. The U.S. government decided that the family demonstrated “good moral character” and granted them legal residency.
ERICA ALFARO
SECOND-GENERATION DREAMS
Erica was born in the U.S. in 1989 to undocumented parents. Her dad Claudio and mom Teresa had crossed the border as teenagers. Both were originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and they met in the agricultural fields of Vista, California.
“My parents decided to immigrate because they wanted something better for their families and for themselves.”
Erica’s paternal grandfather, Jose, was also undocumented. He had initially come to the US under the Bracero program, but when the program ended, he did not return to Mexico. Claudio and Jose were among the three million undocumented immigrants to gain legal residency under the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. Claudio obtained his legal residency under the Special Agricultural Workers (SAW) program.
When Erica was six, the family temporarily moved to Tijuana, Mexico. Erica and her brothers crossed the U.S.–Mexico border daily to attend school. In 2003, the family returned to California. Erica and her siblings spent their summer vacations working alongside their parents in the fields. When Erica complained after a long day of picking fruit, she received some life-changing advice.
“My mother told me that if I wanted a better life, I needed to get a good education.”
Erica’s parents did not have the opportunity to go to school. At age 15, Erica became pregnant and dropped out, but she never forgot her mother’s words. She earned her high school diploma through a homeschool program and followed her brother’s lead by enrolling in college. When her son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she struggled to keep up with her schoolwork but refused to give up. In 2019, she earned her Master’s degree in Education from San Diego State University.
THE LOPEZ FAMILY
PIUBLIC CHARGES OR REFUGEES?
Catarino and Esther Lopez and their three children arrived at Angel Island in September of 1913, seeking refuge from the chaos and bloodshed of the Mexican Revolution. In his interrogation, Catarino begged officials to let the family stay in America.
“Conditions in Mexico make it impossible to live there.”
Unlike middle- and upper-class Mexican immigrants who passed the inspection process relatively quickly by demonstrating wealth or influential U.S. connections, the Lopez family had just $9 to their name.
Immigration officials promptly decided to exclude them as “likely public charges” (LPCs) based on the appearance of their physique, health condition, and finances. The children were described as malnourished, and two of them had hookworm.
Examiners commented upon pregnant Esther’s “delicate condition” and described Catarino as “thin, scrawny-looking and not at all rugged.” But despite the impression he made on the examiners, Catarino had every intention of finding a job.
“I came [to the US] with the expectation of going to work and keeping my family.”
The Galarzas, relatives of the Lopezes, traveled from Sacramento to advocate on the family’s behalf. The Galarzas did not own property, had little savings, and were unable to convince immigration officials to release the growing family into their care. The Lopez family remained in detention long enough for Esther to give birth to twins before the whole family was deported in December of 1913.
Seven years later they returned to the U.S. through Nogales, Arizona and settled in Sacramento.
DALIP SAMRA
SEPARATED FROM A SPOUSE
Dalip Samra was born in 1896 in India. At age 14, he made his way from India to Hong Kong to Hawaii, and finally arrived at Angel Island in November of 1910. He became a migrant worker along the Sacramento River Delta.
Dalip longed for a farm of his own, but as an immigrant from Asia he wasn’t allowed to rent or purchase property.
A friend leased land on his behalf, and Dalip became a successful farmer. He saved his money, and in 1930, he returned to India to get married. As a result of the 1917 Immigration Act, which barred almost all Asians, no new immigrants from India—even spouses of US residents—were allowed to come to America.
Dalip returned home to California and his new wife Swaran stayed behind in India. They lived apart for 15 years.
In 1946, the Luce-Celler Act allowed a small number of Indian immigrants to enter the U.S. and made it legal for them to become naturalized citizens. The changes permitted Dalip and Swaran to reunite in 1947.
The couple settled in Hood, California, where they established a farm and started a family. Dalip became a U.S. citizen in 1961. Despite his success, he never forgot his own struggles as a new American and frequently offered work to young immigrants at Samra Farm.
Dalip’s generosity inspired his children to serve their own communities. His daughter Norma became the first Indian American woman admitted to the California State Bar. As an attorney, she now advocates for Indian women and victims of domestic violence.
KATHARINE MAURER
THE ANGEL OF ANGEL ISLAND
In 1912, Methodist deaconess Katharine Maurer, an immigrant from Canada, accepted the position as “missionary among immigrants” at the Angel Island immigration station. For 28 years, she took the ferry to Angel Island to share her Christian faith and tend to the needs of detained immigrants. She became known as the “Angel of Angel Island.”
“Sometimes I feel that the carrying of sunshine and cheer and comfort and inspiration forms the major part of my work.”
Deaconess Maurer provided practical help and much comfort. She taught English and American customs, established a library with books in many languages, and helped immigrants write letters. She visited detainees in their quarters and the hospital, and she held religious services and holiday celebrations.
Additionally, she served as an interpreter for immigrants who spoke German or Yiddish. She supplied warm clothing to immigrants who were unprepared for San Francisco’s cold weather. Deaconess Maurer saw the nurturing of the human spirit as a vital part of her role. She believed in the equality of all people, regardless of nationality.
“...whatever the native tongue may be, barriers seem to crumble in a friendly and understanding atmosphere.”
Deaconess Maurer was devoted to helping new arrivals integrate into American life—even after their release from Angel Island. She visited immigrants in their homes, and visitors knew they could find help and encouragement by frequenting her apartment in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Over the course of her 40-year career, her kindness and generosity touched the lives of new Americans from all over the world.