When Chinese in Canada Were Numbered, Interrogated, Excluded | The Tyee: Racial profiling and border control in the late-1800s and early-1900s
wasn’t done by computers or through facial recognition tech, but what
the government did use to target Chinese people was considered cutting
edge at the time — for example, certificates with photo ID. And as late
as 1950, border officials used X-rays on young Chinese as a way of ensuring they weren’t cheating the age limits for family reunification programs.

And there was the paperwork. Systemic racism, as it turned out, required a lot of paperwork.

Chinese immigration certificates were the
government’s way to monitor and contain the Chinese people who remained
in Canada after the transcontinental railway was completed in 1885.
There were different certificates for different purposes, from ID to
travel authorizations. Each was known by a “C.I.” code in the header.

When Chinese in Canada Were Numbered, Interrogated, Excluded | The Tyee: Racial profiling and border control in the late-1800s and early-1900s
wasn’t done by computers or through facial recognition tech, but what
the government did use to target Chinese people was considered cutting
edge at the time — for example, certificates with photo ID. And as late
as 1950, border officials used X-rays on young Chinese as a way of ensuring they weren’t cheating the age limits for family reunification programs.And there was the paperwork. Systemic racism, as it turned out, required a lot of paperwork.Chinese immigration certificates were the
government’s way to monitor and contain the Chinese people who remained
in Canada after the transcontinental railway was completed in 1885.
There were different certificates for different purposes, from ID to
travel authorizations. Each was known by a “C.I.” code in the header.Read More