The Japanese American Citizens League, the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American Civil Rights Organization, was founded in 1929 in the face of anti-Japanese sentiment.

As our community was directly affected and wrongfully prosecuted by the application of the Alien Enemies Act during World War II, we are compelled to protest its use today to apprehend and deport Venezuelan nationals who the Administration claims belong to the Tren de Aragua gang.

The Alien Enemies Act is a wartime measure. It reads, in part: “That whenever there shall be a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion shall be perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States, by any foreign nation or government, and the President of the United States shall make public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being males of the age of fourteen years and upwards, who shall be within the United States, and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and removed, as alien enemies.”

There is no “war” now. The “invasion” is ordinary migration. No “predatory incursion” is occurring. No necessary conditions for the application of the Alien Enemies Act prevail. The President is wrongfully and dreadfully attempting to apply this late 18th Century act.

In our nation’s history, the Alien Enemies Act has been used only during the War of 1812, during World War I, and, primarily against Japanese Americans, during World War II.

Here is Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s assessment on what is occurring: “The misuse of the Alien Enemies Act by this Administration is a dangerous distortion of our laws and our history. This statute was never meant to justify mass deportations without due process, let alone in times of peace. We have a responsibility to remember the injustices committed under its previous applications and have a responsibility to ensure that we do not repeat them.”

The Alien Enemies Act, enacted in 1798, was driven by fears of potential espionage during a period of great friction with France and to provide for the defense of our nation from the possibility of invading French forces.

Soon after the United States went to war with Japan in 1941, 125,000 Japanese Americans, some two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, were rounded up and incarcerated (imprisoned) without the due process guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Included were hundreds of Japanese Americans in Monterey County.

A small subset included my father, Junichi, who immigrated to this country from Japan in 1917. He was industrious and became the head of the abalone processing cooperative on Fisherman’s Wharf. He was classified as an enemy, arrested and was eventually moved to a Justice Department camp in Crystal City,

My mother, Maki (“Lorraine”), was a native American born in Watsonville. She was incarcerated at a camp in Poston, Arizona. My parents were separated for 1½ years.

Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps throughout the country, mostly in the West.

Today, a group of immigrants is being targeted and deported without due process. The action of the Executive Branch in overreaching its authority is harmful to all and is appalling. The President is taking undue liberties and interpreting laws to suit his own purpose. Our democracy is being dismantled.

The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on how this President wants to use the Alien Enemies Act, which is being challenged in lower courts.

Several amicus (friends of the court) legal briefs challenging the President’s actions have been filed, with the Japanese American Citizens League being involved. These briefs liken what is happening now to actions taken against Japanese Americans in World War II.

We need to pay attention and call out when our liberties are being abridged. Japanese Americans are in a unique position to comment on these kinds of attacks on civil liberties as we were once the targets because of fear, ignorance, racial prejudice and hysteria. It was easy to identify an Asian.

Larry Oda is the national president of the Japanese American Citizens League. He was born behind barbed wire in an internment camp near the end of World War II and has subsequently been a lifetime resident of Monterey. He was a founding member in 2021 of the local Coalition for Asian Justice. Its mission is to achieve racial justice for all Asians residing in the United States.