I'm John Baxter with my colleague, Professor Richard Epstein, of Civitas Institute.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Wikipedia, a United States federal law signed by President

Chester Arthur, May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years.

The law made exceptions for travelers and diplomats.

And then I go to the irony sweepstakes, NBC reporting.

After Secretary of State Rubio seeks to revoke the visas of Chinese nationals in America,

Chinese students say U.S. resembles the country they left. This is NBC.

Quote, in China, the government can control education, high schools, colleges, universities.

We thought that the USA could be different, one student said.

Professor, it appears that the State Department lost its history book about 1882. Please help us

understand the Chinese Exclusion Act and its fate. Well, the Chinese Exclusion Act is one of the

great disgraces of American legal history.

The entire naturalization statutes were marred with great deals of racism.

The original 1790 acts that only white free people could apply.

That was removed in 1870, so as to allow persons of African assent to apply for citizenship.

The Chinese ban remained in place, on the books until 1943.

And it was basically the argument is you have to contain the yellow peril, and that means

you have to keep all these people out.

The decision is under a complete intellectual mess, including Wang Kim Ork. But for these purposes,

the thing to understand is that the animus was ultimately quite crazy and inexcusable. When we're

coming up today with respect to China, I don't know what delusion affects Mr. Rubio. I don't

think he's insane like the president did.

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