JACL commends the State of California’s lawsuit challenging the planned closure of the National Archives at San Francisco in San Bruno, filed on October 14th, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. After a long-fought community effort headed by SONA Coalition (Save our National Archives), JACL values CA Attorney General Rob Bonta's recognition of the imminent danger of losing national archive access. The lawsuit names the State of California

JACL stands with Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and her family after federal agents searched her D.C. home early on October 12. Rep. Omar has been a steadfast partner and advocate for immigrants, refugees, and the protection of civil rights and liberties. Rep. Omar is entitled to the same due process and presumption of innocence guaranteed to every person in the United States, and we expect the Department of Justice to uphold these constitutional protections. We will

On this date, October 9, 1990, Attorney General Dick Thornburgh presented the first redress checks to nine survivors of Japanese American wartime incarceration in a special ceremony held in Washington D.C. This historic moment marked a major milestone and turning point in the decades-long fight for an apology and justice led by Japanese American survivors, their children, and community allies. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the broader redress movement demonstrated the t

JACL applauds the decision of a federal court halting the construction of an ICE detention facility that was planned to be built on protected farmland near Gilroy, California. Detaining people without due process strips individuals both of rights enshrined in the Constitution and of basic human dignity. Japanese Americans were incarcerated by our own government without recourse, and we will continue to demand that no one else suffer that injustice. We commend Santa Clara Coun

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The Japanese American Citizens League opposes a U.S. Census Bureau rule proposed on September 10, 2026, that would exclude millions of people from the population count and end the collection of demographic data on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Under the proposal, only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents would count toward apportionment, excluding refugees, asylees, and people with Temporary Protected Status. Section Two of the Fourteenth Amendment states c

Yesterday, JACL was made aware of comments made on the Timcast IRL podcast discussing the possibility of the mass incarceration of Chinese Americans in the event of a hypothetical war with China. The episode featured co-hosts Ian Crossland and Phil Labonte, commentators Chris Karr and Kevin Smith, and included troubling remarks questioning the loyalty of Chinese Americans, comparisons between incarceration camps and ICE detention centers, and references to the incarceration o