Crystal City Alien Enemy Detention Facility in World War II—Crystal City, Texas The shock generated by the unprovoked attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 resulted in many decisions by American government officials that would have enduring consequences. That act was, of course, the catalyst that forced the United States to enter World War II. However, another decision made shortly following that attack resulted in the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans in Hawaii and the Western U.S. Indeed, over 120,000 Issei (first generation Japanese immigrants) and Nisei (second generation U.S. citizens) were forced to move to camps in various states. The camps were populated primarily by individuals of Japanese descent, but some camps also contained German and Italian Americans, all of whom were detained in Department of Justice (DOJ) camps through the Enemy Alien Control Unit Program. Texas had three such camps managed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (Crystal City, Kenedy, and Seagoville), and two run by the military, for a total of five. This research paper considers specifically the Crystal City camp. The American government claimed authority over anyone in the country classified as an “Enemy …show more content…
While the Germans typically took advantage of that provision, the Japanese rarely did. Rather, for the Japanese, the Issei were in charge of running the community. In contrast, the Nisei were forced to deal with a situation they had not prepared for and had to compromise what they knew as the rights of a citizen. One way that the Issei attempted to maintain control was through the opening of a Japanese school. In effect, they planned to return to japan following their release and wanted to make sure that their children understood how to behave in Japanese