During World War II, the United States government responded to people of Japanese ancestry living in the US by forcibly relocating and interning them in internment camps. This policy was put into effect with the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942.
The order authorized the Secretary of War and military commanders to designate "military areas" from which "any or all persons may be excluded." This was used to justify the forced removal of around 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, from their homes on the West Coast of the United States and their internment in camps for the duration of the war.
The Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes, businesses and personal property behind, and were sent to live in internment camps, where they were held in often-harsh conditions. They were not allowed to leave the camps without permission and were subject to strict rules and regulations. Many families were separated, and many lost their homes and businesses.
The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is now widely considered to have been a violation of their civil rights, and it was a dark chapter in American history. In 1988, the U.S. government formally apologized and provided reparations to surviving internees and their families.
It's important to note that the internment of Japanese Americans was not based on any evidence that they posed a security threat, but it was instead driven by racism, fear and war-time hysteria.