Japanese Americans Protest New Immigration Center on WWII Internment Site

The recent opening of an immigration center in El Paso, Texas, has reignited protests from Japanese Americans against the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies. The facility, which opened in August 2025, is built on the site of a former military base used to intern Japanese Americans during World War II.

Over the past few months, hundreds of Japanese Americans have protested the construction of new immigration centers and the detention plans for thousands of people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They say it brings back painful memories of how their families were treated during World War II, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. government cited the Alien and Enemies Act of 1798,which hasn’t been used as WWII.

The location of the new center is notably sensitive.During the war, the government forcibly removed over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry – most of whom were U.S. citizens – from their homes and held them in camps across the country.This mass incarceration is now widely recognized as a grave injustice.

Protesters argue that repeating history by detaining families, even under different circumstances, is unacceptable. “We don’t wont to see anyone else go through what our families experienced,” said one protester, quoted by AP. “The trauma of internment has been passed down through generations, and this new center feels like a betrayal of the promises made to ensure it never happens again.”

The Trump administration defends the new immigration center as a necessary step to secure the border and enforce immigration laws. Officials state that the facility will provide safe and humane conditions for those awaiting processing. However,critics remain skeptical,pointing to reports of overcrowding and inadequate care in othre ICE detention centers.

The debate over the El Paso immigration center highlights the ongoing tension between national security concerns and the protection of civil liberties. It also serves as a stark reminder of a dark chapter in American history and the importance of learning from past mistakes.