ICE Sets Up Operations on Terminal Island, Site of WWII Japanese American Incarceration

Hundreds of community members gathered in San Pedro in late June , to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s apparent use of Terminal Island as a staging area for immigration operations across Los Angeles County. The rally took place at Sixth Street and Harbor Boulevard, facing the waterfront and the island itself, and was organized by Harbor Area Peace Patrols, Nikkei Progressives, and San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice.

Terminal Island, which currently houses a federal prison and a U.S. Coast Guard base, is reportedly being used by ICE on federally owned land to coordinate actions in the region. Organizers and speakers expressed concern about the lack of transparency, especially as officials from both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach said ICE was not operating on port property. “While I am confident our port police are not working with ICE,” Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner Lee Williams stated, “I do believe federal property on the island is being used for immigration purposes.”

Protesters drew historical parallels between current immigration enforcement and past injustices on Terminal Island, where Japanese American fishermen and their families were forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II. “What’s happening now feels too familiar,” one organizer noted during a press conference held earlier in the day. “We are again watching federal agents use this space to target marginalized communities.”

During the evening rally, attendees held a vigil across from the island and reiterated their demands that ICE immediately vacate the area. Their calls were both a rejection of current federal immigration practices and a remembrance of the island’s dark legacy. Organizers called for community vigilance and for local and state leaders to prevent the use of Terminal Island for further ICE activity. “The past is not dead,” a speaker told the crowd. “It’s being repeated — and we have to stop it.”

Link: SGV Tribune