Support the Documentary Connecting WWII Internment to Today’s Fight for Human Rights and Immigrant Justice
From the creators of Hidden Internment—the first U.S. documentary to expose the internment of Japanese Latin Americans--Ancestry on Trial: The Forgotten Victims of WWII reveals the untold story of over 31,000 civilians of Japanese, German, and Italian ancestry, many of whom were kidnapped from Latin America and imprisoned by the U.S. government under the label “enemy aliens.” Their lives were upended, their voices silenced—and today, the same legal powers once used to justify their detention are being revived to target new communities.
This feature length film sheds light on a dark legacy and follows survivors and descendants still fighting for recognition and justice—while standing in solidarity with today’s movements for migrant and human rights. With your support, we can expose this hidden history and connect it to the urgent struggles of our time.
Why It Matters
The 1988 Civil Liberties Act marked a significant moment in acknowledging the injustices of WWII internment, but the full story of those labeled “enemy aliens” remains largely untold.
As immigration enforcement today expands under the same legal framework once used to justify wartime detentions, this history has never been more relevant. Ancestry on Trial connects past and present to ensure these stories are not forgotten—and to inspire reflection and resistance in the face of renewed threats to civil liberties.
This feature length film sheds light on a dark legacy and follows survivors and descendants still fighting for recognition and justice—while standing in solidarity with today’s movements for migrant and human rights. With your support, we can expose this hidden history and connect it to the urgent struggles of our time.
Why It Matters
The 1988 Civil Liberties Act marked a significant moment in acknowledging the injustices of WWII internment, but the full story of those labeled “enemy aliens” remains largely untold.
As immigration enforcement today expands under the same legal framework once used to justify wartime detentions, this history has never been more relevant. Ancestry on Trial connects past and present to ensure these stories are not forgotten—and to inspire reflection and resistance in the face of renewed threats to civil liberties.