The Forgotten Story of Japanese Latin American Internment in WWII Texas

The Ishibashi Family's Ordeal

• 💔 The story of Kinso and Misau Ishibashi, Japanese Latin Americans from Peru, who were forcibly brought to the US and interned during World War II.
• 🎯 Kinso, an entrepreneur and founder of a school in Peru, was targeted due to his success and community leadership.
• 🚢 In June 1942, they were put on a US military ship, processed in New Orleans, and separated, with Kinso sent to Kennedy alien detention camp and Misau to Seagoville.

Internment and Prisoner Exchange

• ⚠️ The US government considered them "enemy aliens" and a national security threat, but to their family, they were beloved great-grandparents.
• 🤝 Kinso and Misau were reunited at Seagoville Internment Camp in November 1942.
• 🌍 Less than a year later, in September 1943, they were part of a prisoner exchange, sent back to war-torn Japan in exchange for American civilians trapped in the Far East.

Family Separation and Resilience

• 🚢 Art Shibayyama, Becky's father and the oldest son, along with other family members, were also taken from Peru and endured a difficult 21-day ship journey, with men kept below deck.
• 📍 They were sent to an internment camp in Crystal City, Texas, a stark contrast to the life they had built.
• 🛠️ Despite losing everything, Becky's parents, Art and his wife, remained in the US, with Art becoming an auto mechanic and opening a service station, demonstrating incredible resilience.

Lessons for Today

• ⚖️ Becky Shibayyama fears that the current use of the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act echoes the scapegoating of immigrants during WWII.
• 💡 She emphasizes the importance of preserving this history to prevent similar injustices from happening again.