Their homes were searched and personal possessions were confiscated by law enforcement officers. They were required to be fingerprinted and photographed for government-required registration cards. Individuals were required to carry these cards with them at all times. Curfews were imposed. They were not permitted to travel beyond a five mile radius of their homes without first obtaining a specialized travel permit. Some were imprisoned without knowing the specific charges against them or having legal counsel.
The conditions described above were not imposed on citizens of a foreign nation ruled by a tyrannical dictator. These restrictions were placed on Italian-Americans during World War II.
After the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese, German and Italian residents who had not completed the naturalization process faced restrictions as the government had classified them as enemy aliens. Over 600,000 of those affected were Italian-Americans. Italian-Americans were targeted because Italy had joined Germany in the invasion of France in June of 1940.
Italian-Americans Placed on Custodial Detention List
Actions against Italian-Americans began prior to the Pearl Harbor attack as Roosevelt ordered the FBI to compile a custodial detention list. This list would contain the names of individuals to be arrested in the event of a national emergency. In the months immediately after Pearl Harbor, hundreds of Italian- Americans were arrested. As of June of the following year, 1521 Italian-Americans were arrested by the FBI.
Military service was no barrier to being arrested. Many of those taken in to custody in San Francisco were veterans of World War I who had later joined the Federation of Italian War Veterans.
Agents would arrive at the intended detainee’s home during the night and search the residence. The target of the arrest would be taken to an immigration detention center. Their families were not told the reason for the arrest or where the person was being taken. Those in custody were transported to an internment camp where they faced a panel of military officers and private citizens. They had no legal representation and were not advised of the charges against them. Most people were in custody for two years, moving between camps every three to four months.
Internment camps were located at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, Fort George Meade in Maryland and Fort Missoula in Montana. Italian-Americans were also interned at Tennessee’s Camp Forrest and Camp McAlester in Oklahoma. The Provost Marshal General and the Immigration and Naturalization Services had forty-five other locations where they could intern these individuals.
Italy surrendered on September 8, 1943 and many detainees were released by the end of the year.
The Wartime Violation of Italian-American's Civil Liberties Act
The United States Congress passed House Resolution 2442 in 1999. This legislation acknowledged the civil rights of Italian-Americans were violated by the United States during World War II. The Senate passed the bill the following year and President Clinton signed the legislation. The bill became known as the Wartime Violation of Italian-American’s Civil Liberties Act.
The Wartime Violation of Italian-American’s Civil Liberties Act acknowledged the number of Italian-Americans interned and those affected by other infringements on their freedom. It stated some information regarding incidents during the war remained classified fifty years after that time period. The legislation called for the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities to support programs that would enlighten the public about the treatment of Italian-Americans during World War II.
Sources:
- Order of the Sons if Italy in America
- Una Storia Segreta
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