George Takei: Immigrant detentions like WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans

Japanese American activist George Takei, who was incarcerated as a child during World War II, has drawn parallels between the U.S. government’s wartime internment of Japanese Americans and the Trump administration’s detention of undocumented immigrants. Speaking in a recent “The Assignment” podcast interview, the 88-year-old actor, author and activist urged Americans to remember this history and resist hysteria that can lead to widespread injustice.

Takei recalled that his family was forced from their Los Angeles home and confined to an internment camp after President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942. The order led to the incarceration of about 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens.

Takei warned that political leaders can act on fear and misinformation, saying, “Politicians lie and people believe that lie because there’s hysteria rampant at that time,” mentioning the chaos during America’s war with Japan. “And in our time today, right now, people got swept up by a lie and elected him. And now people have regrets. People must speak out.”

The interview also addressed how public support for Japanese internment in the 1940s resembles today’s calls for large-scale deportations. Takei called on educators and community leaders to teach democratic values and historical truths so past mistakes are not repeated. He said it is critical for people to speak out against political deception and fear-mongering in order to prevent new injustices from occurring.