Echoes of Injustice

A mini-documentary connecting the Alien Enemies Act, Japanese American incarceration, and immigration justice today

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What would it take for the U.S. government to imprison thousands of its own citizen…again?

This is not a hypothetical question.

After the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. invoked an old law—the Alien Enemies Act—to incarcerate more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent.

Now, 80 years later, that same law has been revived.

Echoes of the Past in the Present

The current president, citing a fabricated threat from a Venezuelan gang, issued an executive order directing federal agencies to detain and deport alleged “alien enemies.”

Already, hundreds of immigrants—including U.S. citizens with no criminal record—have been detained and sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

“Criminal” Is Not a Synonym for Inhuman

The president and his officials have claimed that a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is “perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States.”

Based on this specious claim, the president stated the following in an Executive Order:

“The Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security are further directed to cause the apprehension, detention, and removal of all members of TdA who otherwise qualify as Alien Enemies under section 1 of this proclamation. The Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security are authorized to take all necessary actions under the Alien Enemies Act to effectuate this proclamation, consistent with applicable law.”

Once again, the Alien Enemies Act is being used as a tool of injustice and intimidation.

Photo Credit: Ansel Adams, 1943

Learning from Manzanar

History does not repeat, but it does rhyme.

Today we are hearing echoes of the past in the present.

Manzanar stands as a moral witness to what happens when fear and power combine to oppress entire groups of people based on their nationality or immigration status.

I had the opportunity to come alongside pilgrims to Manzanar in April 2025 and see firsthand the place where so many Japanese people were incarcerated during World War II.

I came at the invitation of leaders from the Asian American Center and the Asian American Christian History Institute. I went as part of a collaboration with the Pannell Center for Black Church Studies—all part of Fuller Seminary.

The parallels between the past and the present are chilling.

I recorded the journey, and spoke with leaders who continue to tell this story.

I am honored to present my first mini-documentary—Echoes of Injustice: From Manzanar to Modern-Day Mass Deportations.

This 12-minute film explores the connection between the use of the Alien Enemies Act against Japanese Americans and its use today against immigrants.

Never Again Is Now

I’m not Asian American, and I’m not an expert on this history.

Echoes of Injustice is one small step in my learning journey — and an act of solidarity.

I made this film to listen, to learn, and to help others see how past injustices continue to echo in the present.

If we are to learn the lessons of the past, then we must learn about places such as Manzanar. Only truth with lead to justice.

Never again is now.

Watch Echoes of Injustice.

Additional Resources for Learning

• Manzanar National Historic Site

• Manzanar Pilgrimage

• Asian American Center (Fuller Theological Seminary)

  • Asian American Christian History Institute

• Pannell Center for Black Church Studies (Fuller Theological Seminary)

• Suggested Reading

• Suggested Websites

When did you first learn about Japanese American incarceration during WWII? How did that shape your understanding of justice or civil liberties? Comment below.