On The 84th Anniversary of the Day of Remembrance, JACL Calls for Vigilance Amid Efforts to Erase American History and Harm Immigrant Communities

February 19, 2026

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Matthew Weisbly, Education Programs/Communications Manager, mweisbly@jacl.org

Seia Watanabe, VP of Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org

JACL Policy Team, Matthew Marumoto & Katie Masano Hill

Email: policy@jacl.org

February 19th, 2026, marks 84 years since the signing of Executive Order 9066, the order that led to the incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans. This year carries particular weight and heightened urgency; today marks 50 years since President Gerald Ford signed legislation known as “The American Promise”. This legislation formally terminated Executive Order 9066 and in doing so, President Ford acknowledged what should have been clear from the beginning: “We now know what we should have known then; not only was that evacuation wrong, but Japanese Americans were and are loyal Americans.” His words affirmed that the incarceration was not simply a wartime judgment mistake, but a flagrant violation of constitutional principles and fundamental civil liberties.

As we commemorate these anniversaries, JACL remains deeply concerned by actions that affect the interpretation of American history at national parks and federal institutions across the United States in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." Efforts to remove, revise, and invite public comments on alleged “negative portrayals” of American history are dangerous and risk whitewashing the reality of the suffering and harm that our ancestors and communities endured. It also undermines the very purpose of historic preservation and the work our community has done to ensure the stories of our past are not forgotten or repeated today. We cannot rewrite the history of any marginalized community in our country in ways that stray from the truth for the sake of political convenience. We thank Congressman Mark Takano of California and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda of Hawaii for bravely speaking up in Congressional hearings and on the House floor to draw attention to the pressing issue of historical erasure. 

Last year, the Trump administration did the unthinkable and illegally invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target Venezuelan migrants. This law was last used to extrajudicially detain Japanese, Japanese Latin American, German, and Italian immigrants during the Second World War.  Today, we must ask Congress to support the Neighbors Not Enemies Act (NNEA). The NNEA is a one-sentence bill that would repeal the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in its entirety. The AEA is an archaic law that has been used to target immigrant communities and deny them their right to due process under the law, something that the Japanese American community is all too familiar with. In addition to advocacy efforts, over the last year, we have worked with descendants and their families to uplift and share stories of their Issei, first-generation immigrant, loved ones who were forcibly removed and taken under the AEA and placed into internment camps run by the Department of Justice or Immigration and Naturalization Service. Through these stories, we hope that those up on the Hill and throughout our nation can understand the true importance of why we remember and the consequences of unchecked power and authority in the hands of the United States government. While these are only a small handful of the many experiences under the AEA, we hope that their accounts can serve as an important reminder of why we come together today. You can find the stories of Japanese Americans interned under the Alien Enemies Act here.

This year, the attacks and terror that the Department of Homeland Security and its law enforcement arms are inflicting on our communities further underscore the importance of this Day of Remembrance and the spirit of the phrase “Never Again”. 2025 was one of the deadliest years for people being held in immigration detention, as 31 people died while in DHS custody. Just this year, 6 people have died while in immigration detention, with few to no details being released to lawmakers or the American people. In addition to those who died while in custody, DHS has shot several people in America’s streets, including several shootings that led to the deaths of Keith Porter Jr., Renee Nicole Good, and Alex Pretti. The Department of Homeland Security has left a trail of death and destruction in the wake of its immigration enforcement surges. The JACL will continue to demand accountability from DHS and increased oversight by Congress and the Judiciary. 

Our communities will face continuing challenges in the coming year, including further erasure of American history, continuing attacks on immigrant communities, narratives being spread to divide our country further, and more that is yet to be known. But in the face of what lies ahead, the JACL's commitment to combat these threats across the United States remains unwavering. The JACL will continue to stand in solidarity with affected communities and fight for the civil and human rights of all who face injustice and bigotry in our country. That which unites us in a common cause to defend our democracy and the rights enshrined in our constitution will always be more powerful than any threat that seeks to divide us. The circumstances are urgent, and there is no action too small: contact your elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels, raise awareness in your community, participate in protests, etc. Take actions to amplify your voice and the voices of those in your community. The time to push back is now. Congresswoman Patsy Mink once said: 

“What you endure is who you are. And if you just accept and do nothing, then life goes on. But if you see it as a way for change, life doesn’t have to be so unfair. It can be better. Maybe not for me, I can’t change the past, but I can certainly help somebody else in the future so they don’t have to go through what I did.” 

On this Day of Remembrance, we implore our community and the American public to reflect on Congresswoman Mink’s powerful words. You, too, can be part of the change to make things better. Together, we can work towards making the hope of “Never Again” a reality.

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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.