Today In history
1942 – President FDR orders the detention and internment of all west coast Japanese-
Americans during World War II. Twelve detention centers in California and one in Oregon
house more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans. In December of 1944, FDR announced
the end of the detentions and the internees returned home. By then, they had lost their
homes, businesses, and possessions. President Ronald Reagan signed into law The Civil
Liberties Act of 1988, providing an apology and redress to the internees still living,
although nearly half of those who had been imprisoned died before the bill was signed.