After the creation of the Hart-Cellar Act in 1965, which abolished nation-of-origins restrictions, New York had experienced the first major influx of Chinese immigrants. Unlike before, when the immigrants were mainly sojourners seeking to earn money to bring back home to their families, immigrants who arrived after 1965 planned on staying in America. As a result, many brought their families along with them and attempted to assimilate into the American culture.
The majority of Chinese immigrants which initially arrived between the years of 1965 to 1975 did not have a lot of money and hoped to increase their socioeconomic status. Due to the abundance of job opportunities present in New York (even though most of them were low-wage jobs), many viewed the area as appealing. This, however, caused many parents to work all day, depriving the amount of time they could spend with their children. This fact would ultimately play a role in the gangs present in New York’s Chinatown’s.
As time continued to pass, very few Chinese immigrants were able to save enough money to be able to move out of the crowded Chinatown conditions. During the 1980’s, many Chinese immigrants had an easier journey upon arrival to New York. Although there may have been no specific issues in their homelands which caused them to emigrate, many Chinese did want their children to lead a better life and have more opportunities for education in New York. Often times, families would already have cousins or other relatives living with them. Unfortunately, these families had to live in small one or two bedroom apartments with 8-10 people until enough money was saved up to buy a larger house.
