Trump must condemn internment camp ‘precedent’ comments

The Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu Chapter (JACL Honolulu) wholeheartedly condemns the racist and radically unjust comments made by a surrogate for President-elect Donald Trump. On a nationally broadcast Fox News show, former spokesperson for the pro-Trump Great America PAC Carl Higbie stated that the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was a “precedent” for the president-elect’s plans to create a registry for immigrants — particularly those from Muslim countries. Higbie went on to express that Trump’s immigration advisers believe such action would be legal and “hold constitutional muster.”

JACL Honolulu, as a chapter of the nation’s oldest and largest Asian-American civil rights association, calls on the president-elect and those associated with his presidential transition to condemn such comments. We also implore the president-elect and his transition team to make good on his promise to represent all Americans — especially those who were explicitly criticized or singled out by his campaign — by appointing members of his Cabinet and government that reflect the ethnic, religious and other forms of diversity in our country.

JACL Honolulu also calls upon local and national leaders to hold President-elect Trump accountable for the racially charged comments emanating from those associated with his campaign and transition team that are contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for members of marginalized communities around our country and state.

As far back as Dec. 7, 2015, the president-elect failed to assure the American people that they are safe from a mass incarceration of people based on race, ethnicity or religion.

When asked on that date whether he would have supported the incarceration of Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he replied, “I would have had to be there at the time to tell you, to give you a proper answer,” and “I certainly hate the concept of it. But I would have had to be there at the time to give you a proper answer.”

Hawaii bears the permanent scars of nationally unchecked racially divisive speech and policy in the form of the Honouliuli National Monument — an internment site for thousands of Japanese-American United States citizens following the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. Honouliuli and other World War II era internment camps throughout Hawaii and the continental United States, where citizens were unjustly incarcerated without being charged of crimes against the government, serve as reminders of why we must be vigilant in our commitment to combat racism and prejudice in all of its forms. We urge the president-elect to not ignore the scars of injustice, but to put them in the forefront of his mind as he takes on the task of representing all Americans.

Like those who stood with the Japanese-American community during World War II, JACL Honolulu stands in solidarity with the members of our local Muslim community, who too often shoulder racial and religious discrimination and harassment.

Hawaii cannot be lulled into thinking that it is immune to everyday cultural and racial injustice simply because of its culturally and ethnically diverse population. We must remain ever cognizant that violations of the civil rights of any group are a threat to the equal rights of all. We recommit to standing alongside our Muslim brothers and sisters, as well as all others who are threatened by tides of intolerance and denigration that deteriorate our communities and undermine the diversity that has made this nation great.

Alison Kunishige is president-elect of the Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu Chapter.