The following news release is from the National Archives News Room:
The National Archives and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services with the assistance of the late U.S. Representative Tom Lantos and U.S. Representative Jackie Speier joined to have the Alien Files (commonly known as the A-Files) re-designated as permanent records of enduring historical value.
The A-Files are immigration records created for each of the millions of aliens residing the United States since 1944. Incorporating records that date back to the early 20th century, these alien case files document the famous, the infamous, the anonymous and the well-known. They are an historical and genealogical goldmine with information about immigrants from more than 100 countries.
To honor the work of the late Representative Lantos, the National Archives at San Francisco will also announce the naming of the “Tom Lantos Research Center.”
The ceremony is to take place at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at the National Archives at San Francisco, 1000 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, CA. Immigration records will be viewed for the first time by the descendants of early 20th Century Asian American immigrants and the “Tom Lantos Research Center” dedication will take place. Acutal demonstrations of how to access these immigration files will be given.
The A-files, the Federal government’s immigration case files compiled since 1944, are a key to unlocking the fascinating stories of millions of people who traveled to the United States in search of opportunity. They include information such as photographs, personal correspondence, birth certificates, health records, interview transcripts, visas, applications and other information on all non-naturalized alien residents, both legal and illegal. The files represent over 100 different countries of origin. They will be of particular interest to the Chinese American community because a large number of A-Files supplement information collected in earlier Chinese Exclusion Act-era files (1882-1943) already housed in the National Archives.
