On Tuesday, members of Los Angeles’ Japanese-American community spoke out against President Donald Trump’s use of an obscure wartime law to deport Venezuelan immigrants.
On Saturday, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on members of the Venezuela gang, Tren de Aragua.
When the act is invoked, the president is allowed to detain and deport non-U.S. citizens during wartime.
The law has been used three times in the U.S., during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, according to NAFSA. During World War II, the law was used to detain those of Japanese descent who lived in the U.S.
During Tuesday’s protest outside the Japanese American Museum on N. Central Ave., the museum’s Chief Impact Officer, Kenyon Mayeda said that the president’s invocation of the law is “an alarming overreach of executive power.”
“We cannot allow history to repeat itself,” he said. “We must stand together and say never again.”
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Kyoko Oda, who was born at the Tule Lake Segregation Center, told KNX News’ Karen Adams it was important for her to speak up.
“I am not going to be afraid,” she said. “I'm going to stand up and be a voice. Fight the last fight, so to speak, because it's important to speak on behalf of not only our own people but all people.”
She and others are urging Congress to pass the Neighbors Not Enemies law, which would repeal the Alien Enemies Act.
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