The National Archives (NARA) at San Francisco holds more than 200,000 investigative case files of several types created
by Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) District Offices in San Francisco and Honolulu. Most concern Asian
immigrants and Asian Americans from all over the United States who were investigated under various immigration laws
including the “Chinese Exclusion Acts,” 1882-1943. Case files were created when individuals traveled to or from the U.S.
through the ports of San Francisco and Honolulu. These holdings include files of immigrants detained at Angel Island
Immigration Station and similar facilities.
The staff at the National Archives at San Francisco can assist in identifying individual case files. Because of the complex
nature of INS record keeping and because many immigration files remain in the legal custody of U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS), we strongly encourage you to contact NARA before visiting our facility. This will
enable staff members to provide efficient public service and to prepare for your visit if original records are found.