In a news interview with FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly on Wednesday, Carl Higbie, head of the pro-Trump PAC Great America, suggested that the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II provided a "precedent" for the "Muslim Registry" proposed by President-elect Donald Trump.
Hearing of Higbie's statements, the Japanese American Service Committee ( JASC ) is outraged at the invoking of the incarceration experiences as a precedent, and stands adamantly opposed to any attempts to initiate a "Muslim Registry."
For Japanese Americans in Chicago, the Japanese American concentration camp experience was a painful episode in U.S. history which involved the imprisonment of some 120,000 Japanese Americans by the U.S. during the duration of the war. Executive Order 9066, a 1942 presidential decree by President Franklin Roosevelt, served as the administrative decree which initiated the incarceration process. Two thirds of those incarcerated were American citizens, and many lost their homes, property, and livelihoods, in addition to losing their human and civil rights.
The JASC, having been founded in 1946 with the original purpose of helping Japanese Americans to resettle in Chicago after their release from the camps, knows full well the terrible consequences that can arise from misguided and poorly conceived governmental actions in a time of fear and prejudice.
With this in mind, the JASC reaffirms its commitment to the promotion of the story of World War II incarceration, and stands steadfastly in reaffirming our opposition to any attempts to single out and profile members of the Muslim, Middle Eastern, or South Asian communities on the basis of religion, national origin, or race. We call upon all communities to join in struggle against the forces of bigotry, prejudice, and fear.
All residents of the U.S., regardless of immigration status, should be given equal protection under the law, free from discrimination. The JASC stands committed to opposing these and any other measures that are designed to infringe on the civil and human rights of minority communities.
The JASC engages people of all ages to experience Japanese American history and culture and to
improve their wellbeing through innovative, high quality programs and services tailored to the
multicultural community.
President
John R. Sasaki
Vice-President and
Treasurer
Yasuko Metcalf
Vice-President
Glenn Sugiyama
Secretary
Robert Kumaki
Board Members
Marion Friebus-Flaman
Laura Kina
Sayaka Machizawa
Andrew Mine
Brian Panish
Kimberly Robinson
Chief Executive Officer
Michael D. Takada