The publication is reproduced in full below:
COMMEMORATING THE TUNA CANYON DETENTION STATION
______
HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition as it commemorates the 80th anniversary of the opening of the detention station located in Tujunga, California. I commend the organization's tireless efforts to preserve and document the historical site and the stories of the lives that were forever changed while they were detailed at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station
(TCDS) during World War II.
At the onset of World War II, Presidential Proclamations 2525, 2526, and 2527 authorized the arrest and imprisonment of people deemed a threat to U.S. national security. The proclamations served as justification to arrest individuals of Japanese, German, and Italian ancestry along with extradited Japanese Peruvians and detain them without due process.
The U.S. Department of Justice subsequently appropriated a Civilian Conservation Corps camp a week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 which they would then transform into the detention station that we know today as TCDS. From December 16, 1941 to October 30, 1943, the Tuna Canyon Detention Station imprisoned over 2,000 individuals. These individuals included prominent businessmen, martial arts teachers, civic and religious leaders.
Today, the TCDS Coalition serves to educate the public about the site's historical significance, preserve the site and historic artifacts, and seek out the names and stories of detainees. I applaud the diligence of the TCDS Board of Directors and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to document biographies of TCDS detainees. Additionally, TCDS Coalition was the driving force behind the Los Angeles City Council recognizing the Tuna Canyon Detention Station as a Historic Cultural Monument on June 25, 2013.
With only the oak trees left standing, it's vital for present and future generations to be informed of these wartime atrocities to ensure that the same actions never take place again. It is my pleasure to congratulate the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition on all they have accomplished, and I ask all members to join me in commending their efforts.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 208
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up