SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – California plans to apologize to the families of more than 100,000 people it placed in Japanese internment camps during World War II.

It was the largest forced relocation in US history.

“This picture is our family in 1942 just before we left for internment,” Les Ouchida said.

Les Ouchida was just five years old when his family was incarcerated in an internment camp in Arkansas following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Forced to abandon jobs, businesses, and homes, many never recovered.

Les’s dad was forced to sell his fleet of agricultural delivery trucks at fire-sale prices.

“He tried to reestablish the business when he came back, but a lot people had lost their farms,” Ouchida said.

There was never any evidence of disloyalty or espionage involving anyone in the camps.

Les’ parents were born in the United States and dressed their son in a US military uniform for this family portrait.

The resolution apologizes to families for the state legislature’s role in executing presidential executive order 9066 establishing the camps.

Les cites the findings of a presidential commission on why it happened.

“Racial prejudice, war hysteria and lack of political leadership. So there was a lot of people not just politicians that didn’t speak up,” Ouchida said.

In 1988, congress gave camp survivors $20,000 each in reparations.

And after nearly 80 years the issue has surfaced once again.

By all accounts, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was one of this nation’s egregious injustices. 

And while some consider it ancient history, others feel the episode is still relevant.

The Florin Japanese American citizens league anti-discrimination efforts based on race and religion, most recently supporting Muslim rights.

“Our community has suffered the same discrimination in the past. It happens decades later and that’s why we say never again,” Josh Kaizuka, president of Florin JACL, said.

Now 82 years old, Les now is a volunteer docent at the California museum, often giving his insights to school children.

“It should not be forgotten because it’s really kind of a civic lesson for all generations,” Ouchida said.

The California State Assembly is expected to approve a resolution later this week.

History has largely referred to the facilities that housed the detainees as “internment camps.”

Over the past several years, more people have started calling them “concentration camps,” noting that is how FDR himself identified them.

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