I am proud that our nation did the right thing. But 18 years after the passage of the Civil Liberties Act. there still remains unfinished work to completely rectify and close this regrettable chapter in our nations history. Between December 1941 and February 1948. approximately 2.300 men. women. and children of Japanese ancestry became the victims of mass abduction and forcible deportation from 13 Latin American countries to the United States. The U.S. government orchestrated and financed the deportation of Japanese Latin Americans to be used as hostages in exchange for Americans held by Japan. Over 800 individuals were included in two prisoner of war exchanges between the U.S. and Japan. The remaining Japanese Latin Americans were imprisoned in internment camps without the benefit of due process rights until after the end of the war. Japanese Latin Americans not only were subjected to gross violations of civil rights in the U.S. by being forced into internment camps much like their Japanese American counterparts. but additionally. they were victims of human rights abuses merely because of their ethnic origin. Further study of the events surrounding the deportation and incarceration of Japanese Latin Americans is both merited and necessary. While most Americans are aware of the internment of Japanese Americans. few know about our governments activities in other countries resulting from prejudice held against people of Japanese ancestry. Government files thoroughly recorded U.S. involvement in the expulsion and internment of an estimated 2.300 people of Japanese descent who lived in various Latin American countries.
Keywords matched
deportation