Rep. Doris Matsui Applauds Tule Lake Designation; Former Internment Camp to Become New National Monument

The Presidential proclamation adds nine historic sites to the national heritage of monuments and memorials, including the Tule Lake Japanese-American Internment Camp.

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) applauded the announcement of the establishment of the andquot;World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.andquot; The Presidential proclamation adds nine historic sites to the national heritage of monuments and memorials, including the Tule Lake Japanese-American Internment Camp. Congresswoman Matsui has worked continuously to ensure that the Tule Lake Internment Camp is included as a national monument, which will provide it with the protections and resources of the National Park Service.

andquot;Naming Tule Lake a national monument is an important step in preserving American history.andquot; Congresswoman Matsui continued, andquot;This week, our nation remembers the 67th anniversary of the bombing at Pearl Harbor, which caused fear and suspicion and eventually led to the unprecedented and wrongful internment of more than one hundred thousand Japanese-Americans. This designation of the Tule Lake Internment Camp will preserve for future generations the physical, tangible evidence of the internment of Japanese-Americans.andquot;

The Tule Lake Internment Camp was the largest internment camp during World War II. It was also the highest-security camp and the site of the harshest conditions experienced by internees. Every two years, former detainees and their relatives make a pilgrimage to the site. Congresswoman Matsui was the lead cosponsor of H.R. 2506, a bill that took initial steps toward designating the Tule Lake Internment Camp as a national monument.

Rep. Matsui concluded, andquot;It is fitting that as we celebrate, the 20th Anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the President has chosen to make Tule Lake a national monument.andquot;

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