C.A.C.A. joins over 60 Organizations in Filing Amicus Urging Courts to Heed Lessons of Japanese American Incarceration 

For Immediate Release: June 3, 2025

Media Contacts:
Asian Law Caucus, media@asianlawcaucus.org
Japanese American Citizens League, policy@jacl.org 
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org

Over 60 Organizations File Amicus Urging Courts to Heed Lessons of Japanese American Incarceration 

Centering the Stories of Japanese American Families Targeted by the Alien Enemies Act, Brief Argues Courts Must Be Independent Checks on Executive Overreach – Or Risk Grave Injustice

SAN FRANCISCO – In March, President Trump issued an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, against any Venezuelan national as young as 14 who the administration claims is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. In the months since, every judge except one in cases challenging the executive order has found the Trump administration's use of the Act to deport individuals without due process to be illegal. When the United States last used the Act in World War II, it began an escalation that culminated in the highest court choosing to blindly defer to unsubstantiated claims from the executive branch. Everyday people paid the price, losing their families, jobs, homes, and fundamental freedoms. 

As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit considers the case against Trump’s executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, the Asian Law Caucus, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC), and Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality have filed an amicus brief asking the court to fulfill its role and duty as an arbiter of constitutional law and ensure robust judicial review of executive actions and orders. The brief is filed on behalf of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and more than 60 Japanese American and Asian American organizations who are committed to sharing this history of the sweeping incarceration of Japanese American communities in order to prevent grave injustices today.