Isles’ U.S. senators condemn internment camp comments
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U.S. sens. Brian Schatz (left) and Maizie Hirono (right).
Hawaii’s two U.S. senators joined a growing chorus of politicians and civil rights organizations Thursday in condemning comments made by a prominent supporter of President-elect Donald Trump that suggested World War II-era Japanese internment camps could serve as a precedent for creating a federal registry for Muslim immigrants in the United States.
“The internment of Japanese Americans was a dark chapter in our history. We should remember it and never repeat the same injustice,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said in a statement. “Any suggestion that the classification of thousands of Japanese, Germans and Italians during World War II as ‘enemy aliens’ should be used as a precedent is immoral and must be rejected by all Americans.”
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, who immigrated from Japan at 7 years old with her mother, took to her Twitter account to criticize the comments.
“The internment of Japanese Americans more than 70 years ago set a precedent: that we should never let something like this happen again,” Hirono wrote.
In other tweets, she said:
“Are hate speech, racism and xenophobia the new normal in our country? No they are not.”
“We cannot let fear dictate our path forward. An inclusive and vibrant America is worth fighting for.”
Hirono and Schatz were reacting to comments made by former Navy SEAL Carl Higbie, who said there was legal precedent for creating an immigrant registry, which has been floated by a member of the Trump transition team.
“To be perfectly honest, it is legal. They say it will hold constitutional muster,” Higbie said during an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly on Wednesday. “I know the ACLU is going to challenge it, but I think it will pass. We have done it with Iran back a while ago. We did it during World War II with Japanese.”
Higbie said that he wasn’t suggesting that the U.S. reinstate internment camps, but suggested that targeting certain ethnic groups or nationalities is OK if it’s in the interest of national security.
“What I am saying is we need to protect America first,” he said.
During his campaign Trump advocated for different policies relating to Muslims. He called for the U.S. to ban all Muslims from entering the country in response to the Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attacks and had said he would support a database that tracked Muslims in the U.S.
But late Thursday, Jason Miller, communications director for Trump’s transition team, released a statement saying that Trump never advocated for a system that tracks people based on their religion and that “to imply otherwise is completely false.”
The comments by Higbie have further inflamed concerns that Trump’s campaign and election have spurred racist and xenophobic rhetoric, causing an uptick in hate crimes and scaring immigrants and Muslim Americans. They’ve also touched a particular nerve in Hawaii, which has a significant Japanese-American population, some of whom have relatives who were interned in the World War II camps.
Following Higbie’s comments, state Sen. Jill Tokuda tweeted, “My great-grandfather sat in an internment camp while his son protected our country in the (Military Intelligence Service).”
More than 120,000 people of Japanese descent who were residing in Western states were imprisoned in internment camps during World War II. In Hawaii more than 2,000 people were put in such camps. Most of those imprisoned were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, according to historians.
In 1988 President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, which apologized for the “grave injustice” done to citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry.
The internment of tens of thousands was “motivated largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership,” according to the act.
43 responses to “Isles’ U.S. senators condemn internment camp comments”
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Unfair interment victims were awarded $20K by the USA. Think again blue collar; you’ve been ‘conned’.
Pandering for Jap votes !!!
the 4 monkeys from Hawaii in Washington are doing all they can to get minimal if any federal funding.
Its a new leader and the 4 monkeys need to change –
the time for increasing welfare, EBT, and homeless funding is over…
IRT Corruption: What a racial slur! You should be ashamed of yourself using that kind of language. Auwe!
Internment camps are basically a good idea and sometimes useful and needed. For like a quarantine for Muslim immigrants. The Japanese internment was of course a mistake in hindsight. But most people did not know and comprehend that the Japanese here where loyal US citizens and did not plan to sabotage us or support Japan in some ways during that war.
These two from Hawaii are irrelevant. They’ll say anything to get headlines.
Agreed. Now, if they said they were united to repeal the Jones Act???
And enrage the local Unions? You forget who controls Hawaii Democrats.
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind
Pilau kin dust.
Now, don’t hang on.
Does this mean that if a “supporter” of one Hawaii’s 4 legislators says something stupid… we can condemn our legislator? Me thinks the supporters of our legislators are smarter than out Hawaii Legislators when it comes to saying something stupid. LOL LOL LOL
If they actually saw the interview instead of reading main stream media headlines, they would know he never mentioned internment camps and in fact denied that this is what he was referring to. The internment camp reference was a question from the interviewer aksing whether he was advocating internment camps and he responded no. Sadly our 2 Democrats are just following party orders instead of doing what’s right.
IRT Earlson, fully agree with your post. Ms Kelly of FOX brought up Internment Camp idea and the Mainstream Media, as they have been doing to discredit President-Elect Trump, began to spread the lie. Mr. Higbe did not initiate the idea of Internment Camps.
Yep. Dems and media – keep living in the echo chamber of your choice since that worked so well for you and Hillary! Lolos…
What else do they have left ? Voters know their shibai. Gotta say something.
All that money they spend and not one reasearch person in the whole party……….at least not one who tells the truth.
Hypothetically speaking only, if you do anything that is Hawai’i only, you will have 49 other states to convince. I believe, we have a Republican controlled Congress and President.
The use of the term “WW2 Internment Camps”, might not work so well for Hawai’i Politics.
The forgotten issue, was the Extreme Muslim Terrorists, and where to put them, when they blow up something that you hold dear.
Let’s all get upset about nothing. There will always be radicals on both sides.
I pray Schatz and Hirono have SAFE ZONES where ever they may be. These Liberals are quick to criticize TheDonald but yet won’t publicly denounce Crooked Lying Hillary and her email scandal. It’s sickening hearing these Liberal talking heads play party lines and not taking a stand equally in all party lines. True Politicians that talk alot but don’t do the walk, they fight for themselves, for their respected party lines AND NOT for the American Citizens. They’d even go as far protecting criminal Illegal Aliens before serving in the interest of US Citizens, Veterans, the homeless, the unemployed, the middle class worker/families, etc. The People have spoken denouncing your LIbearal way, the County was headed in the wrong direction as the election told us all.
America and it’s Citizens 1st. Millions unemployed, surviving on Gov. handouts and it’s all because of jobs! The Gov. failed. You have to look no further than the Chinese who made Godzillions of dollars off of trade deals. And what do we get as American’s, cheap goods and in exchange for China’s military build up in the China seas. CRAZY, China makes money off US consumers and in return they use that money to expand their reach militarily. So simple to understand what’s going on but these politicians only think of themselves worrying about handing on to their elected seats.
Who cares about lip action? Why even pay attention to these media hype stories? They should know better, and not to over-react.
Oh, give me an F’n break!!!
Two losers. They better get on the Trump Train. Hanabata and Gabbard too or Hawaii will suffer.
….out the “Bunch , Aunty Tulsi Gabbard has a better chance of crossing the aisle of divide in Washington. I have some doubts though,but reasons for this? I am pretty sure she’ll make a move along with “Colonel Sanders”, Bernie Sanders for the WH….
Even the losers get lucky sometimes. Yeah, we smoked cigarettes and we stared at the moon.
“4 cans short of a Six pact/ Mazie and The Obama Ambassador Peace Prize Brian Schatz. The Dynamic duo? Can someone Text these two Kolohes, that it was FOX NEWS Megyn Kelly who commented “Internment Camps”.
And these two Bozos are Representing Hawaii? Be afraid ,be very afraid. hehehee.
Of Grid:
Nancy Pelosi to lose Minority Leadership in the US House Of representative.
Interesting how the comments are directed towards the Japanese.
Nothing said about the HAWAIIANS who have and are still being discriminated against well before the war in which they Hawaiians fought to keep free from the Japanese who in turn now reap the benefits of this free country.
So shut the f— up and do the work you were elected to do and not this bashing s— !
IRT Toledo, all residents of the State of Hawaii from the first around 300 AD or 1300 AD from Polynesia are visitors to this great Island State. There never were any indigenous people in Hawaii, everyone was a visitor. Now, there has not been any discrimination against Hawaiians from other ethnic groups, only Hawaiians against Hawaiians. Toledo, the two Hawaii Senators to Washington support discrimination against ethnic groups, including Hawaiians.
agree! They still do. The Japanese has dominated the Islands for decades . But we need to be careful and caution is advised or else the “Left” will unleash another politically correct attack on your okulele! That you are being Racist! So be careful!
But yes!
Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. Look at the many businesses and The State and the County government work force,which basically are comprised of Japanese. They control pretty much everything in this state! This is NOT ,in no way Racist,it’s just plain simple facts!
We don’t need and shouldn’t have internment camps. What we do need is a streamlined and efficient screening and deportation process for illegal immigrants. There is nothing wrong with legal immigration, this country has benefited from it greatly for many years, and I speak as a son of a legal immigrant. Just keep it above board and abide by existing rules and regulations that are in place and not currently being enforced.
IRT Retire, only the Media is talking about Internment Camps. No one else is, including President-Elect Donald J. Trump.
The Media, and politicians foolish enough to listen to the media and respond to what they say.
Hey Hawaii on the next election lets encourage the other States to bring down all Republican representatives!!!!
Update: M. Kelly is really working for CNN–she, like the rest of the liberal media is trying to promote liberal propaganda–and grab headlines and sell her book. I dont trust what she says and will say anything to get the public’s attention–making up stuff + half truths + reporting radical alarmist ideas + posing questions that mis-lead; “Mr X, why is it that you feel you need to beat your wife?”–hey Mr X doesnt even beat his wife so why are you asking “why”? All BS to sell herself and grab attention and make more money and to be in the mix of media attention and to sell her book-america should start a “Dump Megan” movement–dump Megan Kelly.
Wait till the next 9-11 incident–see what Schatz & Hirono say then–Hawaii is not safe if we have that type of representation–the D’s in Hawaii saying: ABE- 6+ months ago: “bring the Sirian Refugees to Hawaii–we will take them in w/o vetting; Schatz & Hirono (now): why are we screening for Muslim extremist people. Just waiting till something happens here or on the mainland..what are they going to say then?
I guess the Hawaii senators condemn all our comments on this article, no use making any comments on this story, we are all condemn according to them.
They are above us , don’t you know ?
This Press release / announcement will be the single biggest accomplishment during their tenure in the US Senate. How sad.
Sorry, must post for the record. From FOX Megyn Kelly.
Ex-Navy SEAL Higbie Defends Muslim Registry with Megyn Kelly on FOX,
Wednesday, 16 Nov 2016
“It is legal. They say it will hold constitutional muster. I know the ACLU is going to challenge it, but I think it will pass,” Higbie, a spokesman for Great America PAC for Donald Trump, told Fox News’ “The Kelly File” Wednesday night.
“We’ve done it with Iran back a while ago. We did it during World War II with Japanese. Call it what you will, maybe wrong.”
Host Megyn Kelly responded that such statements frighten people. “You’re not proposing we go back to the days of internment camps, I hope… you know better than to suggest that. That’s the kind of stuff that gets people scared, Carl.”
Higbie, “said he was ‘not proposing that at all’, but what I am saying is we need to protect America first. There is precedent for it and I’m not saying I agree with it.”
Kelly expressed surprise at Higbie by asking “can’t be citing Japanese internment camps as precedent for anything the president-elect is going to do.”
Higbie replied: “The president needs to protect America first and if that means having people that are not protected under our constitution have some sort of registry… until we can identify the true threat and where it’s coming from, I support it.”
“You get the protections once you come here,” Kelly said before ending the interview.
“Hirono and Schatz were reacting to comments made by former Navy SEAL Carl Higbie, who said there was legal precedent for creating an immigrant registry, which has been floated by a member of the Trump transition team”. – Frankly I’m surprised there isn’t already a registry of Muslim immigrants coming into the US. It would seem to be only common sense given world events over the past 20 years and the stated goal of Islamic terrorists to infiltrate and attack the US from within as they did on 9/11.
What selective outrage from these two Democrat has-beens. They conveniently “forgot” to mention that Democrat president Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Democrat administration implemented the Japanese internment policies! talk about an inconvenient truth!
Inexperience showing when political correctness dictate choice of words when referencing a dark time in our history.
Letting their grass roots supporters they are earning their keep by championing a dark chapter in our history. About all they do, crab when someone misspeaks instead of introduce legislation to benefit Hawaii’s economy. Jobs and military spending.
Hey Hirono. Japanese born. Read this. Then you might begin to understand hoe RAl Amecians felt when JAPAN SNEAK attacked us.
After you read this, happy to have a dialogue with you.
http://nypost.com/2016/11/19/pearl-harbor-survivor-recalls-japanese-bombers-smiling-and-waving-from-planes/