The station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997. "When my father and my grandmother came to this country, like thousands of other immigrants from China and elsewhere, they were detained at the Immigration Station on Angel Island. As we recognize Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we have to recognize this history," Mar said during Tuesday's San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting. "Angel Island remains a vital part of our city, our state, and our nation's history of immigration, and racist and exclusionary treatment of immigrants. To build a more just future, we have to contend with the injustices of our past. We have to preserve these places, their memories, and their lessons," he said.