{"id":7718,"date":"2026-08-25T16:39:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T16:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7718"},"modified":"2026-08-25T16:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T16:39:51","slug":"protesters-say-the-closing-of-national-archives-in-the-bay-area-threatens-access-to-critical-asian-american-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7718","title":{"rendered":"Protesters say the closing of National Archives in the Bay Area threatens access to critical Asian American history"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the last decade, genealogical consultant Grant Din has helped Asian Americans find information about their ancestors, many of whom passed through San Francisco\u2019s Angel Island Immigration Station in the 1900s.<\/p>

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Knowing how important these family histories are to his clients, Din \u2014 an expert at interpreting complex documents, from immigration records to marriage certificates \u2014 says he can\u2019t understand why the federal government would want to abruptly empty out and shut down the National Archives buildings in San Bruno, Chicago and Seattle, which are home to millions of historical records and other federal documents.<\/p>\n

San Bruno\u2019s 1-million-cubic-foot facility alone holds more than 750,000 immigration case files, many of which document Asian American and Pacific Islander history on the West Coast.<\/p>\n

The National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, is the federal agency that preserves and provides public access to the nation\u2019s historical and governmental records. There are 40 facilities located across 17 states and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n

There have been no public updates so far from NARA about where the San Bruno files, and those of Chicago and Seattle, will go. No one knows when that process will even begin, or if the archive\u2019s centuries-old documents can be digitally preserved, Din said.<\/p>\n

The uncertainty comes at a time when local Asian American communities say they are worried that their ancestors\u2019 troubled history under the American government \u2014 including the 1882 exclusion acts against thousands of Chinese migrants and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II \u2014 will be overlooked in the Bay Area\u2019s academic institutions and local governments.<\/p>\n

On Monday morning, Din joined community members, local AAPI organizations and Rep. Kevin Mullin in front of the archive\u2019s entrance of the National Archives building in San Bruno to protest the closure.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo help people learn about their own history in the U.S. is pretty amazing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s such an important thing to continue to do.\u201d<\/p>

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Din is now a leader of Save Our National Archives (SONA), a group of Bay Area locals and nonprofits pushing to keep all the records in San Bruno. SONA claims NARA did not hold public hearings with the community or issue an announcement to explain their decision<\/p>\n

The only information SONA has heard about where the San Bruno, Chicago and Seattle records will go is in a document created last month by NARA calling for vendors to help move the archives to existing Federal Records Centers in Boston, Denver and Fort Worth. The work period would begin Sept. 1 of this year and end Sept. 30, 2029.<\/p>\n

In response, Mullin, whose 15th Congressional District includes South San Francisco, recently introduced a new federal bill that would prevent NARA from closing any of their facilities \u2014 such as archives, records centers or research rooms \u2014 without Congressional approval. The bill is co-authored by San Gabriel Valley Rep. Judy Chu, along with congressmembers who represent Seattle and Chicago.<\/p>

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\u201cNARA has not provided sufficient information to justify its plans and whether potential cost savings outweigh the harm to the community,\u201d Mullin said.<\/p>

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Mullin and Chu are also leading a coalition of 37 lawmakers across the country in calling upon NARA for more information about why the agency is shutting the facilities.<\/p>\n

The closures are meant to help NARA save money and ensure the \u201clong-term financial health and viability\u201d of the administration, according to a June internal email to staff from Chief Operating Director Jay Trainer. The email did not disclose how much it would cost to keep the facilities open.<\/p>\n

NARA did not respond to requests for comment about the facilities closure. National Archives at San Francisco Director Stephanie Bayless also did not respond to questions about the San Bruno closure.<\/p>\n

The San Bruno facility is most known for holding the original immigration records of martial artist icon Bruce Lee and court records for United States vs. Wong Kim Ark, a landmark Supreme Court decision that established birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. The building also holds Alcatraz inmate records of Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, among others.<\/p>\n

On Monday, protesters at the San Bruno archive held posters reading \u201cProtect Access to Truth\u201d and \u201cSave Our National Archive.\u201d Printed and mounted on pieces cardstock were photos of protester\u2019s family members and immigration records which could be found at the archive.<\/p>\n

Rosalyn Tonai, executive director of Japanese American Historical Society in San Francisco, said the archive holds documents on Japanese American incarceration in the U.S. during World War II. Many of these sensitive and delicate documents cannot be be fully digitized by NARA, and need to be accessed by locals, Tonai said.<\/p>\n