Amache concentration camp for Japanese Americans during WWII to become historical site

In the grasslands of Colorado stands an old watchtower that used to look over the the concentration camp that housed thousands of American citizens of Japanese descent. It will become part of the future Amache National Historic Site.

Late Monday (Feb. 15), the US Senate unanimously passed legislation to establish the Amache National Historic Site, located outside of Granada, Colorado, as a part of the National Park System.

“I have waited many, many years to see the day where we can be certain that Amache, as a place of reflection, remembrance, honor, and healing, is protected for our current and future generations,” said Amache survivor and advocate, Bob Fuchigami, in a statement. “My parents did not live to see this day. The time is not only right; it is long overdue.”

“This is an important action by our nation in acknowledging the injustice that was inflicted upon the Japanese American community by our government," said David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League.

"This will be an opportunity to share not only the injustice of what happened to those incarcerated at Amache, but also puts their story in the context of Colorado’s history and the bravery of Governor Ralph Carr, who was the rare politician who stood up for the rights of Japanese Americans and opposed the incarceration. His steadfast values cost him his political career.”

The legislation was led by Colorado Senators Michael Bennet (D) and John Hickenlooper (D) and Colorado US Representatives Joe Neguse (D) and Ken Buck (R).

To get the Senate's full support, backers agreed to a last-minute amendment in order to address the concerns of Utah's Republican Senator Mike Lee, who held up its earlier passage last week.

"Senator Lee does not object to this specific historical site. He does object to any increase in the total amount of land owned by the federal government as the federal government fails to adequately care for the land already in its vast holdings," Lee's spokesman, Lee Lonsberry, told The Associated Press.

After negotiations between Lee and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, the final version of the bill merely requires the National Park Service accept the land, less than a square mile of public land maintained by volunteers, as a donation from the nearby town of Granada, reports Colorado Public Radio.

With the amendment, the bill will have to return to the House for final approval. It originally passed that chamber 416-2. The bill will then go to President Biden for his signature.

HISTORICAL FILE

The Amache camp housed 7,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

Amache was one of the 10 American concentration camps where nearly 120,000 people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during WWII under the false pretense of national security. Over 7,000 men, women, and children were at Amache, formally known as the Granada War Relocation Center.

The passage of this legislation this week is particularly poignant as on February 19, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066 which paved the way for the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans in the following months. The result was thousands of families uprooted from their homes with little to no time to pack any belongings or set their affairs in order. The government issued a formal apology for what it had done through the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

“I’m thrilled the Senate passed our bill to establish Amache as a part of the National Park System,” said Sen. Bennet after the passage of the legislation. "The incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II at sites like Amache is a shameful part of our country’s history. Our bill will preserve Amache’s story to ensure future generations can learn from this dark chapter in our history.”

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