Japanese Americans who survived US incarceration camps during World War II, and their descendants, are calling for the immediate closure of the South Texas Family Residential Center. They assert that the facility is a reflection of the violation of civil rights that they and their families suffered during World War II. To draw attention to their cause they undertook a four-day, 70-kilometer pilgrimage in late June, which began at the former Crystal City Concentration Camp and ended at the nation’s largest family immigration detention center.
The protest was organized by Tsuru for Solidarity in partnership with Free Families, Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministries and Grassroots Leadership. Twenty-four people participated in the walk. Many of the protesters were descendants of Japanese Americans who were forced from their homes and incarcerated during the war.
According to organizers, the walk was intended to parallel past injustices with the treatment of migrant families in the present era.
Marchers shared videos that showed participants chanting and singing as they approached the detention facility. “We sang ‘Never again. Free families,’” one organizer said, describing the emotional arrival at Dilley. (AsAmNews)
When they reached the detention center, marchers took part in an interfaith service, which involved tying hundreds of colorful origami cranes to the fence surrounding the compound. Each crane was folded by a survivor and their family. The paper birds were intended to symbolize peace, remembrance, and a demand for change.
“We bring these cranes on their behalf and in solidarity with the children and the families being subjected to violence inside of Dilley and in every detention site across the country,” said the executive director and co-founder of Tsuru for Solidarity, Mike Ishii. “The message from us is this must stop.” (Religion News Service)
The protest began in Crystal City, which once held Japanese Americans, Japanese Latin Americans, and German Americans under indefinite detention as a result of wartime policies that stripped individuals and families of due process and constitutional protections. Activists said the modern immigration detention system was a mirror of those historical injustices.
“Join us everywhere,” said Ishii. “March in solidarity, walk in spiritual faith and strength, just as we are doing today. (Truthout)
Organizers stated that their goal was not only to close the Dilley center but to end family detention nationwide. “The goal of the pilgrimage was to shut down Dilley, end family detention in its entirety, and stop family separation caused by ICE targeting and detention,” the coalition said in a statement. (Truthout)
Activists also pointed out the strong ties between Japanese American communities and migrant families in South Texas. During World War II, Japanese detainees at Crystal City and local migrant laborers worked side by side. This resulted in relationships that have lasted multiple generations. This has led to strong support for immigrant communities in the area.
“As a community that experienced the denial of basic human and constitutional rights, indefinite detention and multigenerational harms, Japanese Americans are deeply alarmed by the open targeting of immigrants and people of color by our own government,” wrote Ishii and fellow leader Stan Shikuma in an editorial. (AsAmNews)
While standing at the gates of Dilley, participants read the names of individuals who were incarcerated at Crystal City during the war.
Afterwards, Clara, the 12-year-old daughter of one of the organizers, sang a song that was produced in collaboration with children who are being detained inside Dilley’s detention facility.
“I sing from here, and you sing from there. Together we’ll sing down the walls everywhere. Love in our hearts like the waves of the sea. Together we’ll sing until everyone’s free,” she sang. (Truthout)
See more
Japanese Americans March Against Ice Detentions (ASAMNews)
Japanese internment camp survivors demand closure of Dilley, TX family detention center (Religion News Service)
Japanese Internment Survivors Gather to Demand Closure of Texas ICE Jail (Truthout)
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