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Asian Law Caucus Supports SF Resolution Against 1798 Wartime Power
SAN FRANCISCO – Days after massive protests against the Trump administration erupted in San Francisco and cities and towns across the country this weekend, the Asian Law Caucus joins local organizations and residents in condemning Trump’s illegal invocation of a 1798 wartime power. The Alien Enemies Act was last used to incarcerate people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent in World War II camps and justify abducting and incarcerating Japanese Americans en masse.
In support of San Francisco Supervisor Melgar’s resolution this week denouncing Trump’s unlawful abuse of power, Carl Takei, community safety director at Asian Law Caucus, said:
“As Japanese Americans, my family knows the horrifying legacy of the Alien Enemies Act and won’t let Trump and other politicians drag us backwards.
“My great-grandfather, Juro Shiga, immigrated from Japan in 1904 to live the American Dream. Over nearly four decades, he built a thriving sweater-knitting business in Seattle, grieved his wife’s death from tuberculosis, and raised their five American-born children to adulthood. But in January 1942, his dreams were shattered when two FBI agents came to Juro’s house and arrested him as an Enemy Alien in front of his children. As he sat in a prison camp, his business was shut down and his pride was crushed. Juro did not live to see the end of the war. He died of a broken heart in spring of 1945. Like Venezuelan community members today, Juro was simply trying to put down roots and build a better life for his family.
“By illegally invoking this 1798 wartime power, Trump is seeking to silence dissent and disappear parents, siblings, neighbors, and co-workers without due process and based on who we are or where we came from. We won’t let him take away our rights to keep our families safe and whole without a fight. Now is the time for every community, every local government, and every institution that respects our country’s ideals and values to unite for a country that safeguards our freedoms and equality under the law.”