Executive Order 9066

Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 authorized the U.S. military to establish "military areas" and remove any persons from them, resulting in the forced relocation and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, mostly on the West Coast, into inland concentration camps. Driven by wartime hysteria and false claims of espionage, the policy led to massive property losses and 3+ years of detention for citizens and residents alike.

This was a dark period in the Roosevelt administration. Due to overwhelming pressure from Congress, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps. He rescinded the order before the Supreme Court would declair irt unconstitutional

National Archives (.gov) +2