A panel with representatives from social justice groups drew alarming parallels between Trump's immigration policies and the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during World War II. Public Defender Mano Raju highlighted Trump's abuse of power through the Alien Enemies Act, which undermined immigrants' due process rights. Speakers underscored the emotional gravity of mass deportations and historical echoes of targeted actions against vulnerable communities. Takei emphasized that current practices could lead to escalating violations reminiscent of wartime actions against Japanese individuals, advocating for public awareness and activism against systemic injustices.
"Some of the people - who were essentially kidnapped by the U.S. government and shipped off to El Salvador in violation of a federal court order - have pending civil court dates in order to obtain their immigration status."
"These initial roundups of Japanese immigrants who were not U.S. citizens were based on very thin evidence," said Takei, who shared how the FBI targeted his great-grandfather for speaking to civilian ship captains.
"If I were representing any of those individuals, I would actually be digging deep to understand the dynamics of who they are, and I bet you a lot of times we're going to find that these allegations against them are actually not true."
"The first stage is the one that looks very much like what we're seeing now, where individuals are taken from their homes without due process and labeled as threats."
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