Biden signs bill to fund preservation of WWII-era internment camps

WASHINGTON (HawaiiNewsNow) - President Biden has signed a bill into law aimed at bolstering education and preservation of sites across the country used for Japanese internment camps during World War II.

Among the sites to be preserved: The Honouliuli Internment Camp in Hawaii.

“The internment of Japanese American citizens remains one of the darkest and most shameful periods in our history,” said Schatz, D-Hawaii, who co-authored the law.

“Our new law will ensure that we continue to preserve internment sites and create a new grant program to educate more people about Japanese American confinement,” Schatz continues.

During WWII, the federal government forced approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes and into internment camps.

While the United States provided a formal apology and compensation to surviving victims in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and created the JACS program in 2006, Schatz says it is critical to continue efforts to educate the public, preserve these sites, and honor the brave Japanese Americans who were subjected to internment.

According to Schatz, the new law will reauthorize funding for the JACS program to continue the preservation of these sites. The bill will also create a new $10 million competitive grant program to educate individuals on the historical importance of Japanese American confinement.