Senators Boxer and Feinstein Work to Preserve Tule Lake Segregation Center   

Tuesday, June 5, 2007  

I am pleased to let you know that I have joined Senator Dianne Feinstein in introduced the Tule Lake Segregation Center Special Resource Study Act, S.1467, asking the Department of the Interior to study the feasibility of designating the Tule Lake Segregation Center – a World War II-era Japanese American internment camp located in Northern California – as a National Historic Site.

During World War II, the federal government ordered the evacuation and internment of over 120,000 Japanese-Americans in ten different internment camps across the country. At its peak, about 19,000 were held at Tule Lake, the largest and one of the most infamous of the camps. It was the site of frequent demonstrations and strikes by internees demanding their rights under the U.S. Constitution. It also became a "segregation camp," used for those who had refused to take a loyalty oath or who had caused disturbances. Tule Lake was one of the last camps to be closed, staying open until March 20, 1946.

Tule Lake is also one of the best preserved of the internment camps. It has several significant historic features remaining, including the camp stockade that imprisoned internees. By preserving it in our National Park System, we will be able to better protect these priceless features as a reminder of what happens when we disregard our values and forget what it means to be American. I am so proud to be joining Senator Feinstein in this effort to make sure that the lessons of history are never forgotten.

A companion bill has being introduced in the House by Representatives John Doolittle (R-CA) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) and has been endorsed by the Modoc County Board of Supervisors.

 

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer