Final answer:
Chinese immigrants at Angel Island faced harsh interrogations and discriminatory treatment, characterized by prolonged detentions and intensive, purposefully challenging interviews.
Step-by-step explanation:
The immigration process through Angel Island was often an arduous and discriminatory experience for Chinese immigrants. Unlike European immigrants who arrived via Ellis Island, Chinese immigrants underwent extremely harsh interrogations and faced discriminatory treatment. These indentured individuals were detained for weeks or months in separation, with men and women housed differently, whilst enduring interrogations with questions designed to be challenging and trick them, regarding intricate details of Chinese villages and family genealogies.
This treatment stemmed from widespread anti-Chinese sentiment, evidenced by multiple pieces of legislation aimed at restricting Chinese immigration and citizenship, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese laborers and established Angel Island as a primary immigration processing station specifically designed to control the entry of Chinese people into the U.S. The Act also prohibited Chinese nationals from gaining U.S. citizenship, a prohibition that had roots dating back to a 1790 law.
The correct answer to the question is b. Chinese Immigrants faced harsh interrogations and discriminatory treatment at Angel Island. Immigrants were separated, subjected to prolonged detentions, and interrogated intensely, during which they faced hostile and unfair treatment.