Food shortages and substandard sanitation were prevalent in these facilities. The Santa Anita Assembly Center, just several miles northeast of Los Angeles, was a de-facto city with 18,000 incarcerated, 8,500 of whom lived in stables. In Portland, Oregon, 3,000 people stayed in the livestock pavilion of the Pacific International Livestock Exposition Facilities. From there they were transported to a "Relocation Center" where they might live for months before transfer to a permanent "Wartime Residence."Īssembly Centers were located in remote areas, often reconfigured fairgrounds and racetracks featuring buildings not meant for human habitation, like horse stalls or cow sheds, that had been converted for that purpose. Japanese Americans reported to "Assembly Centers" near their homes. People had six days notice to dispose of their belongings other than what they could carry.ġ993 American becomes first non-Japanese to achieve highest rank in sumo wrestlingĪnyone who was at least 1/16th Japanese was evacuated, including 17,000 children under age 10, as well as several thousand elderly and disabled residents. Relocation to 'Assembly Centers'Īrmy-directed removals began on March 24. Eisenhower only lasted until June 1942, resigning in protest over what he characterized as incarcerating innocent citizens. Eisenhower from the Department of Agriculture to lead it. Ten state governors voiced opposition, fearing the Japanese Americans might never leave, and demanded they be locked up if the states were forced to accept them.Ī civilian organization called the War Relocation Authority was set up in March 1942 to administer the plan, with Milton S. Inland state citizens were not keen for new Japanese American residents, and they were met with racist resistance. War Relocation AuthorityĪfter much organizational chaos, about 15,000 Japanese Americans willingly moved out of prohibited areas. Olson and State Attorney General Earl Warren, declared that all Japanese should be removed.īiddle pleaded with the president that mass incarceration of citizens was not required, preferring smaller, more targeted security measures. On February 19, 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 with the stated intention of preventing espionage on American shores.Īt Congressional hearings in February 1942, a majority of the testimonies, including those from California Governor Culbert L.
Enacted in reaction to the Pearl Harbor attacks and the ensuing war, the incarceration of Japanese Americans is considered one of the most atrocious violations of American civil rights in the 20th century. citizens, would be incarcerated in isolated camps. government that people of Japanese descent, including U.S. From 1942 to 1945, it was the policy of the U.S.
Roosevelt through his Executive Order 9066. Japanese internment camps were established during World War II by President Franklin D.