Senator Murray Statement on the Japanese American Confinement Education Act Being Signed into Law

Senator Murray is a cosponsor of the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act, which will extend site preservation, create a new educational grant program

Senator Murray: “We owe it to the survivors and their families to tell their story and make sure everyone understands that our neighbors, friends, and colleagues lost their freedom and their rights the day that executive order was issued.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after President Joe Biden recently signed the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act into law. The bill, authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and cosponsored by Senator Murray, will reauthorize funding for the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) program to preserve internment camps across the country. The new law, which was included in the government funding bill last month, will also create a new $10 million federal grant program to promote education regarding Japanese American internment.

“One of the most painful memories in American history was the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. This egregious order broke up thousands of families across the country, and right here in Washington state,” said Senator Murray. “We owe it to the survivors and their families to tell their story and make sure everyone understands that our neighbors, friends, and colleagues lost their freedom and their rights the day that executive order was issued. I cosponsored this bill to ensure we have the resources necessary to preserve internment sites and to educate Americans across the country about Japanese American confinement.”

In one of the largest violations of civil rights in United States history, the federal government forced approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes and into internment camps during World War II. While the United States provided a formal apology and compensation to surviving victims in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and created the JACS program in 2006, it is critical to continue efforts to educate the public, preserve these sites, and honor the brave Japanese Americans who were subjected to internment.

The Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act will reauthorize funding for the JACS program to continue the preservation of these sites — including the Honouliuli Internment Camp in Hawai‘i. The bill will also create a new $10 million competitive grant program to educate individuals on the historical importance of Japanese American confinement during World War II, ensuring that present and future generations learn from Japanese American confinement and continue the commitment of the United States to equal justice under the law.

The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

Groups supporting the legislation include Japanese American Citizens League, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation, Japanese American National Museum, National Japanese American Historical Society, JACS Consortium, Anti-Defamation League, Fred T. Korematsu Institute, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation, and Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i.

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