American xenophobia is as old as the United States. For most of America’s history there has not been a coherent immigration system. It was not until the late nineteenth century that a bureau of immigration was even formed. While immigrants from China, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean would come to the United States throughout this period, they were explicitly barred from becoming American citizens. These communities were administratively excluded and routinely met with violence. Chinese men, for example, were first recruited and hired as laborers on America’s railroads. Despite their contributions toward building American transportation and economic development, these men were often targeted for economic exploitation and racism. This included being deemed a threat responsible for the degradation of American culture and values. The “yellow peril” manifested as stereotypes used to signify the hazard an Asian presence posed to American values. This manufactured fear transformed the public image of Asian migrants from hardworking laborers into deviants, incapable of assimilation with an appetite for white women. The pain inflicted by these racist tropes was the point. The United States government institutionalized this pain by barring Asian immigration via key legislations in 1875 and 1882. Even with legislative reform, this pain was resurrected during the COVID-19 pandemic where phrases like “Kung Flu” were used to once again target Asian Americans for violence. That practice of branding migrants as a perpetual “other” has reemerged in the 2024 presidential election.
School Authors: Niambi Carter