Interac...

[7] Share Kim knew there would be another interrogation. Officials detained and questioned all new immigrants. He put together a book for his wife so they could coordinate their stories and make certain that they gave the same answers during questioning. The coaching book contained information about names and birth dates of all family members, the location of the home village and its environment, dates of Share Kim’s travels to China, and more. Any wrong answers could lead to deportation. As expected, Share Kim’s wife and children were detained at Angel Island. Officials questioned each member of the family, even six-year-old Sherman, and they brought Share Kim in a second time for questioning.

[8] Sam Louie, the youngest son of Share Kim who was born later in San Francisco, says, “The interrogation was a nervous process for everyone.” Louie is a retired educator and volunteer at Angel Island Immigration Station. In July 2015, the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation hosted a family history/reunion day event. Portraying his father, Louie shared his story. He says, “Many Chinese, including my father, claimed to be ‘a son of a native’ so they could come to America to seek a better life for themselves and their family.” They were, in fact, only sons on paper, an affidavit the ‘father’ signed—thus the term paper son.

[9] Louie showed his father’s Certificate of Identity. He explains that for Share Kim to claim his birth record, he had to find two witnesses who would testify that they knew him as a child. Louie says, “The witnesses had to be white because Chinese were not trusted.”

[10] Share Kim had a “twin” paper brother. But when the two boys were placed next to each other, it seemed clear they were not twins at all. Share Kim was much taller. The “twin” was deported back to China, where he died two years later.

[11] Some Chinese scholars estimate that 80 percent of Chinese in America had a paper son in their family history. Louie adds, “I knew as a child growing up that I was never to reveal to others that my father was a paper son for fear that we might all get deported.”

[12] “My parents never talked to me about their immigration experience,” he says. “I never even knew they were detained at the Angel Island Immigration Station until after my mother passed away at the age of 98 in 2003.” Louie conducted research at the National Archives and Records Administration in San Bruno, California. He found a transcript of the interrogation of his mother and siblings during their detainment. The transcript was 42 single-spaced typed pages.

[13] Louie says, “Many of my friends and relatives said their parents never talked about their immigration experience either.” I suspect those experiences were painful, something they would rather forget.