Politics & Government
'A-Files' Allow Asian Americans to Connect to the Past
The records created for the millions of immigrants residing the United States since 1944 will be released to the public on Tuesday at the San Bruno-based National Archives.
The National Archives on Tuesday will for the first time be making available records for millions of immigrants that date back to the early 20th century.
The documents, known as the Alien Files or "A-Files," include thousands of immigration records for Asian Americans that were previously headed for destruction. Some of the files are 100 years old.
According to the National Archives office in San Bruno,
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"these alien case files document the famous, the infamous, the anonymous and the well-known. They are an historical and genealogical goldmine with information about immigrants from more than 100 countries."
A news release from the office also said:
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"They will be of particular interest to the Chinese American community because a large number of A-Files supplement information collected in earlier Chinese Exclusion Act-era files (1882-1943) already housed in the National Archives."
Starting Tuesday, the immigration records can be viewed at the National Archives office in San Bruno. Later in the month, the documents will be available for research online.
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