Tuna Canyon Detention Station

LA’s Historic Cultural Monument #1039

Photo Credit: Stephen Schafer

Marc Stirdivant Scholarship for Justice Lunch – April 19, 12:30-3:30pm

The luncheon will be held at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Center (12953 Branford St., Pacoima, CA) honoring our 2025 winners. Lunch is included at no charge, donations are appreciated on the website or by check. RSVP before April 1 by contacting Nancyoda64@gmail.com.

During World War II, the U.S. government incarcerated without due process more than 2,000 Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants, Japanese taken from Peru, and others at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station located within the City of Los Angeles. These arrests were authorized under Presidential Proclamations 2525, 2526, and 2527 which were based on the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as recodified in 1918. Tuna Canyon was operated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and held prisoners from December 16, 1941 until October 30, 1943.

Today, the barbed wire fence, guard posts, and barracks are gone. Only the oaks remain. This website reveals what they witnessed over 80 years ago.

The main purpose of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition is to illuminate this tragic event so that such injustice is never again experienced by any group.

Mission Statement

To illuminate the U.S. government’s World War II incarceration of Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants and others at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station and to promote social justice and equity so that such injustice is never again experienced by any group.

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Upcoming Events and News

  • The university invites staff and students to a roundtable discussion on Tuna Canyon Detention Station and wartime incarceration from historical, cultural and political perspectives. Today, U.S. news reports are full of items about the Trump Presidency’s war on so-called illegal immigrants. The actions of U.S.......

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  • Sunday December 14, from 10am to 4pm The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was designed by Japanese American landscape architect Kintsuchi Fujii and was completed in 1940. During World War II and prior to the more widely known mass incarceration of Japanese Americans from the West Coast, Fujii was part of a large group......

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  • This year, the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition  has been preparing for educational programs and a booklet for a tour in the United Kingdom. Board members Nancy Takayama and Conrad Caspari initiated the project with Dr. Rachel Pistol from University of Southampton who is  a Digital......

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  • Here’s a downloadable version of the new booklet called Tuna Canyon Detention Station. Told through pictures and texts, The Tuna Canyon Detention Station Story illustrates the fragility of Constitutional and human rights.  The booklet chronicles the history of the Federal Government’s war-time measures against these individuals and includes......

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