Matt Marumoto, Daniel K Inouye Policy Fellow
Pearl Harbor Day Reflection
Eighty-four years ago, the world changed forever when the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The Japanese American community was profoundly affected, having their lives turned upside down. Following the attack, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was invoked, leading to the internment of over 31,000 Japanese, German, Italian, and Japanese Latin Americans. This was followed by Executive Order 9066, which led to the wider incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans. The consequences of the internment and incarceration during World War II are still being felt to this day, and are still not entirely known. Just this year, the Alien Enemies Act was invoked for the fourth time, marking the first such invocation outside wartime and serving as a sweeping and legally dubious deportation authority. Alongside the 2025 invocation, we are seeing things that are akin to what our community saw in the past. Large-scale raids from federal police are disappearing members of immigrant communities, and former internment sites, such as Fort Bliss in West Texas, are being reopened to confine migrants.
This October, I had the great honor of leading a lecture on the history of the Alien Enemies Act, followed by an advocacy training with the support of JACL National and the JACL Salt Lake City Chapter. This event is part of the JACL’s broader efforts to educate the public about the impact the AEA had on our community and how to push back against its illegal invocation in 2025. As we wait for the case W.M.M. v. Trump, the primary challenge to the invocation of the AEA, to return to the Supreme Court, we are continuing to educate our community and push for the passage of the Neighbors Not Enemies Act on Capitol Hill. Now more than ever, the Japanese American community can make a substantial impact by making our voices heard. Our community possesses a unique and important voice in calling for the United States to stop repeating the most shameful parts of our history. Call your legislators, educate your friends and family, and spread the word – no action is too small. Together, we can ensure that we keep the promise of “Never Again”.
Katie Masano Hill, Norman Y. Mineta Policy Fellow
From Issei to Gosei, Pearl Harbor Day Reflection
I began my journey as the Norman Y. Mineta Fellow with JACL at the end of January, unaware that history would soon echo into the present. Less than two months into my fellowship, the Alien Enemies Act, a law used to justify the detention of Japanese immigrants immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and during World War II, was invoked. This law, which allowed the government to arrest, detain, and imprison people based solely on their nationality, resulted in the incarceration of thousands of Issei under suspicion, even though not a single person was ever found to be a traitor. On the 84th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we must seize this moment to honor their resilience and remember the hardships the Issei faced. These experiences resonate today as we confront ongoing immigration injustices, including the reopening of Fort Bliss as the largest ICE detention center in the United States, reminding us of the dangerous continuity of xenophobia and systemic racism.
While working to repeal the AEA, I discovered that I am a descendant of those affected by it. I had always thought my family’s story was limited to Tule Lake and Heart Mountain, but it reaches far beyond, spanning Fort Missoula, Santa Fe, Lordsburg, Topaz, and Fort Bliss, where my relative Kahei Sam Morikawa was interned.
Kahei’s story, like many others, is essential for understanding the harm and long-term ramifications of the AEA. Through my fellowship, not only have I learned about my own history, but I have helped share these stories and honor them in person. I attended the national JACL convention in Albuquerque, where the AEA Stories project was featured, traveled to Santa Fe to visit the historical marker alongside fellow descendants, and joined a remembrance and incense ceremony at the site in Lordsburg where two Issei were killed.
The work continues. Through the AEA Stories Project and efforts to expand the descendant amicus brief, we honor these histories while confronting present injustices. As you read this reflection, I will be in Japan on the Kakehashi Project, a journey that brings the story full circle. From the Issei who were forcibly interned because of their heritage, to the picture bride Masano I am named after, to me as a Gosei, the effects of the AEA continue to echo across generations. In the wake of the Pearl Harbor anniversary, I am reminded that the Issei endured unimaginable hardship for the sake of their children, kodomo no tame ni. This journey, too, is part of that legacy: a continuation of their hope that future generations might live with dignity, remembrance, and justice.
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About The Japanese American Citizens League
The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.
