What are the differences between “relocation,” “internment,” and “exclusion”?
The program of “relocation” on the West Coast was initiated in late January 1942. It was managed by the army and—for the Japanese alone—the War Relocation Authority. Relocation affected all enemy aliens and citizens of Japanese ancestry. Between 8,000 and 10,000 Italians and Germans were forced out of West Coast security zones through most of 1942, although they were never put into camps. Between 110,000 and 120,000 Japanese nationals and U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry were put into 10 relocation camps, stretching from the mountain West to Arkansas. “Internment” was a Department of Justice program that began within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On orders from President Franklin Roosevelt, the FBI arrested individuals it deemed “dangerous,” who, after a hearing, were either released, paroled, or interned for varying lengths of time, some as late as 1949. Scores of camps for internees were scattered across the United States. Individual “exclusion” was a prerogative of army def
