JANM Condemns Plans to Convert Warehouses into Large-Scale Immigrant Detention Centers

Editors please note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. 

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) denounces plans of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to purchase warehouses across the country and convert them into large-scale immigrant detention centers that could hold thousands of people at a time while they await court dates or deportation. There are about 70,000 people detained by ICE in facilities throughout the country. The detention centers are slated to begin operation in November. 

“JANM condemns the plan to convert warehouses into large-scale immigrant detention centers. Policies that normalize the mass detention of communities should alarm anyone who understands the history of civil liberties in this country. During World War II, more than 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry—most of them US citizens—were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated without due process. That injustice remains one of the most profound violations of constitutional rights in American history. Three successive US presidents have formally acknowledged and apologized for this grave injustice. That national reckoning reflected a hard-earned understanding that fear, prejudice, and the erosion of civil liberties can lead a democracy to betray its own principles. Our Museum was founded to ensure that this history is remembered and that its lessons guide the future. When government policies begin to echo patterns of exclusion, detention, and the suspension of fundamental rights, cultural institutions have a responsibility to speak clearly. At JANM, memory is not passive. It is a civic responsibility. Remembering the incarceration of Japanese Americans reminds us how quickly fear and prejudice can erode democratic principles. The promise of “never again” must apply to every community. We cannot allow the normalization of mass detention to take root in our society,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM President and CEO. 

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