JACL Stands with SPLC Against Federal Government’s Continuing Attack on Civil Rights
April 30, 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
The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) categorically denounces the Department of Justice’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The Trump Administration’s decision to attack the SPLC represents an attack on civil rights work as a whole and the progress that has been made to protect the rights of all Americans. Attacks such as these, and the precedent they set for our nation’s future, cannot be tolerated if we are to preserve our democracy. Civil rights organizations such as the JACL and the SPLC play a critical role in holding the government accountable and ensuring that Americans can enjoy the rights and protections enshrined in our nation’s Constitution.
Behind this indictment is a deliberate strategy. The attack on the SPLC is part of a broader scheme to rewrite American history and redefine civil rights and liberties in the United States. A key part of this tactic is erasing, misinterpreting, and falsifying the history and experiences of marginalized communities. SPLC has been a champion in ensuring that the violence and hate against marginalized communities are told and documented truthfully. Instead of the administration celebrating and honoring the brave work of SPLC and the work of other civil rights organizations, they have chosen to celebrate and condone domestic terrorists, white supremacists, and the violent insurrection of January 6. Last year, JACL issued statements regarding the President’s comments equating the treatment of Japanese Americans and the January 6th insurrectionists, and a statement six months later regarding U.S. Attorney Ed Martin's comments that echoed the President's comparison. These comments from President Trump and officials in his administration demonstrate a trend of manipulating history to conveniently fit their narratives. While President Trump did state that Japanese Americans were treated poorly and U.S. Attorney Martin referred to the persecution of Japanese Americans as a “great failure of legal judgment”, this same administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (AEA), the authority which led to the internment of over 17,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry and Japanese Latin American nationals. Most notably and troublingly, the AEA laid the legal groundwork for the wider incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans under Executive Order 9066. This offensive and outright incoherent wielding and weaponizing of Japanese American history, combined with the invocation of wartime law, demonstrates the dire need for organizations like the JACL and SPLC to continue our work.
This indictment will not silence the civil rights movement, and all we have fought to gain. The SPLC will have its day in court. While we wait for that day to come, the JACL stands in solidarity with the SPLC, and we urge our community to join us to do the same.
To learn more and support the SPLC, please visit their website at www.SPLCenter.org.
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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.
