Belated Apology

[00:00:00]In 2023, United States President Joe Biden formally spoke out on the discriminatory Chinese Exclusion Act, 141 years after it was issued and on the 80th anniversary of its repeal.

[00:00:15]Our nation was founded on the fundamental idea that we are created equal and deserve to be treated equally.

[00:00:23]But for 61 years, the Chinese Exclusion Act failed to live up to that promise.

[00:00:29]It weaponized our immigration system to discriminate against an entire ethnic group and was followed by further discrimination against many in Europe and all of Asia.

[00:00:41]The Act, along with racism and xenophobia in other parts of American life, was part of the anti-Chinese "Driving Out" era which included the Rock Springs and Hells Canyon massacres.

[00:00:54]In 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed and it was followed by laws that led to an immigration system that better reflected our values as a nation of immigrants. — Statement from President Joe Biden on the 80th Anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act，December 17, 2023