Japanese Americans see parallels between current immigration climate and World War II

On Feb. 19, Japanese Americans commemorate the more than 100,000 people who were imprisoned during World War II. The U.S. government used the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify their incarceration to prevent spying and sabotage in the midst of war.

Now Japanese Americans in the San Francisco Bay area are reflecting on this day by mobilizing as President Trump plans to use the same wartime authority to target illegal immigration.

KQED’s Cecilia Lei reports.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.