Golden Venture Boat

On June 6th, 1993, the Golden Venture (a 147 foot cargo ship) ran aground at New York’s Rockaway Beach. The ship carried 286 undocumented Fujianese immigrants. Hoping to reach American shores, 10 passengers jumped ship and tragically passed away. The remaining immigrants were taken into custody by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and detained for years at York County Prison. While the passengers fought for their right to asylum, they collectively created elaborate paper sculptures that are now preserved in MOCA’s Collections. After four years of incarceration, the majority were deported back to China while 52 immigrants were placed on “humanitarian parole.” Policies applied to the Golden Venture passengers reflect the ongoing legacy of exclusionary policies in the United States: the “pardoned” immigrants fanned out across the country and even today live in legal limbo, with neither permission to stay nor a means to permanent citizenship.