"Enemy Aliens" Film Fund Raiser: So relevant today.

The Alien Enemies Act is a U.S. law enacted in 1798 that allows the president to detain or deport citizens of enemy nations during wartime or in response to threats of invasion. This Act was used during WWII to justify imprisoning Germans, Italians and Japanese in almost one hundred military and Department of Justice prisons across the country.

This film takes a look at dozens of these alien enemy prisons, which were distinct from the 10 main incarceration or concentration camps, like Manzanar, Heart Mountain, Minidoka or Topaz. These were the Real Internment Camps.

Due Process, a legal principle, was not followed by the government as no aliens were allowed to have a fair trial or even legal representation at the time. Due Process is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and protects individuals from arbitrary actions by the government. The courts have ruled that non-citizens have certain rights under the Fifth Amendment, including the right to challenge their detention.

History is repeating itself. But what lessons does this history provide?

Please help me finish this important work.

Thank you for your support!

Claudia Katayanagi

Director