Professor Hing Comments on Immigration Records for LA Times
Professor Bill O. Hing commented for the Los Angeles Times on recently announced government plans to make "alien registration files" of immigrants a part of the National Archives. Each file includes applications, investigator notes, and hearing transcripts of the immigrant. Professor Hing, who has viewed the files of his parents, who immigrated from China, said that archiving the files would provide a great resource for historians interested in immigration policy.
"It really gives you rich details as to how the laws were implemented and some of the unintended consequences," he said. "Because you can actually see the faces of the people who are actually affected by the laws, it makes a difference."
Professor Hing is recognized nationally as an immigration law and community lawyering expert. He is the founder of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco.