FDR Halted German, Japanese Naturalization After Pearl Harbor
"interfering by word or deed with the defense of the United States or political processes and public opinions thereof"
December 8, 2015
Daniel Greenfield
A little bit of American history. After Pearl Harbor, the naturalization of enemy aliens was suspended for a time.
The myth popularized by the left is that after Pearl Harbor the United States began randomly going after Japanese-Americans because of racism. The actual reality is that the United States began relocating "enemy aliens" in the West Coast, which meant Germans, Japanese and Italians who were not United States citizens. Race wasn't the issue. Fear of an invasion was.
Executive Order 9066 is what the left loves talking about. And it's bringing up 9066 in reference to Trump's comments. But far more relevant are Presidential Proclamations 2525 through 2527.
Let's start with FDR's
Presidential Proclamation 2525 after Pearl Harbor. It applied to the Japanese, 2526 to the Germans, 2527 to the Italians. But otherwise they were basically the same. Trump actually referenced these on Good Morning America as the basis for his proposals.
WHEREAS it is provided by Section 21 of Title 50 of the United States Code [11 F. C. A., tit. 50, § 21] as follows: "Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government, and the President makes public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being of the age of fourteen years and upward, who shall be within the United States and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies..."
FDR was
quoting the law circa 1798. Specifically, "An Act Respecting Alien Enemies". The more relevant one at present is the Alien Friends Act. But since FDR was dealing with a straightforward declared war, he went with the first of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
It's
still the law today.
...
FDR Halted German, Japanese Naturalization After Pearl Harbor