Graduation Term

2023

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Committee Chair

Nobuko Adachi

Abstract

This thesis examines how the history of exclusionary immigration laws against Chinese immigrants affected later immigration laws aimed at both new Asian and Latin Americans immigrants, with a focus on undocumented individuals from both geographic areas in the United States. The HANA Center, a Korean American nonprofit and immigration welcome center, located in Chicago, brings undocumented Asian Americans and Latinos together by creating an environment where the two can work together in their shared fight for immigration reform. Undocumented Latino voices are prominent in discourse around undocumentation in the United States, but undocumented Asian Americans are an equally important and often overlooked group. The HANA Center’s goal is to give them a voice. I argue that early exclusionary laws create a template for future immigration laws aimed at both Korean immigrants and Latin American immigrants in the 20th century. The HANA Center offers a good snapshot into how Asian Americans and Latinos work together in the fight for immigration reform as an organization with a history of helping both Asian Americans and Latinos. I support this claim through a careful analysis of the HANA Center’s online presence, as well as interviews with key individuals from the HANA Center and NAKASEC, a national organization that the HANA Center is affiliated with. KEYWORDS: Asian Americans, HANA Center, Latinos, Undocumented Immigration

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2023.20240124055107821817.999989

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