CAPAC Members on Senator Rand Paul’s Misguided Analogy to Japanese American Internment

Washington, DC – On November 21, 2014, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) likened President Obama's executive action on immigration to Executive Order 9066, which authorized the internment of Japenese Americans during World War II. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) leaders released the following statements to condemn these remarks:

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

“I am appalled by Senator Rand Paul’s grossly insensitive comparison of President Obama’s executive action on immigration to the abuse of executive authority that led to Japanese American internment. There is a glaring difference: the former protects and promotes the rights of aspiring Americans while the latter stripped the life, liberty, and property of thousands of U.S. citizens. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was due to ‘race prejudice, war hysteria, and the failure of political leadership’ by all branches of the federal government. The fact that Senator Paul used this misleading analogy for shock value is truly reprehensible.

“Like many Republican and Democratic Presidents that faced Congressional inaction, President Obama used his legal authority to act on immigration. While the President's actions are an important first step, Congress must still legislate and pass a bill to permanently fix our broken immigration system.”  

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (HI):

“It is disappointing that Senator Paul compares President Obama’s executive action on immigration reform to such a dark and painful time for Japanese Americans in our country’s history. Senator Paul’s statement is inappropriate and recklessly reopens an emotional wound for thousands of Japanese Americans across the country about a period in our nation's history we must make sure is never repeated.”

Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair:

“Rand Paul’s comments comparing President Obama’s executive order on immigration with President Roosevelt’s executive order that imprisoned thousands of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II could not be more misguided. At best, he is confused. At worst, he is just wrong.

“President Obama is showing true leadership by taking action when the Republican leadership of the House has failed to let Congress do so.

“The incarceration of U.S. citizens of Japanese origin, including me and my family, was a misuse of executive order. As someone who is a victim of executive order 9066, I can say without hesitation that Roosevelt was wrong. It was a misuse of power. President Obama’s order is an appropriate use of executive order because Congress did not do its job.

“Every President has the Constitutional right to use Executive Orders. What Senator Paul fails to say, recognize, or admit to, is the motive and outcome of the use of this power. President Obama is using this power correctly – President Roosevelt did not.”

Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), CAPAC Whip:

“Senator Paul’s comments likening President Obama’s executive action that provides immigration relief to millions of people in this nation to the internment of Japanese Americans is insulting - not only to the millions who will benefit from President Obama's executive action, but to the thousands of Japanese who were interned during World War II, including my own mother and father. At best, his comments are revisionist history, wrapped in a logical fallacy.

“President Obama’s executive action prioritizes the protection of vulnerable, hardworking immigrants. Executive Order 9066 did the opposite and was not just a failure of the executive, but a failure of each branch of government, as Congress allowed the internment of thousands to take place, and the Supreme Court failed to uphold the constitutional rights of those interned.

“While I’m sure that Senator Paul's purpose of making these comments was to feed the libertarian fantasy of rampant government overreach in everything President Obama does, the fact remains that there is absolutely no comparison to his executive action, which allows millions of hardworking immigrants to no longer live in fear, and the systematic stripping of basic human rights of Japanese Americans by every branch of government.”

Background:

On November 21, 2014, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) made the following comments during a conference in Lexington, Kentucky. His statement analogized President Obama's executive action on immigration to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II:

“I care that too much power gets in one place. Why? Because there are instances in our history where we allow power to gravitate toward one person and that one person then makes decisions that really are egregious. Think of what happened in World War II where they made the decision. The president issued an executive order. He said to Japanese people 'we're going to put you in a camp. We're going to take away all your rights and liberties and we're going to intern you in a camp'...We shouldn't allow that much power to gravitate to one individual. We need to separate the power.”

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The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.