In October 2023, President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance at the National Italian American Foundation’s annual gala in Washington. Biden addressed the audience and touted the contributions of Italians and Italian Americans to the nation and the world. However, despite these accolades for Italians in October, Biden forgot all about the Italians who were placed in internment camps in the United States during World War II, resulting from then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066.
On Feb. 19, Biden issued a statement acknowledging the horrors associated with Roosevelt’s executive order from 1942. He mentioned the Japanese and acknowledged the injustices they suffered as a result. Unfortunately, he said nothing about the people of Italian descent who were also forced into internment camps.
“On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the forcible incarceration of over 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent — half of whom were children,” Biden’s statement read. “It was shameful. Families were separated. Communities were torn apart. People were stripped of their dignity. And the unconstitutional and unconscionable policy was even upheld by the Supreme Court.”
However, unfortunately, Biden used the commemoration to continue his web of political deceit. Instead of acknowledging all of the people affected, he made no mention of the Italians who also suffered from Roosevelt’s decision. It was an unnecessary and offensive snub by the leader of the free world who, just a few months earlier, expressed his admiration and respect for Italians.
“I decided to run for President to restore the soul of America. To confront racism, xenophobia, and hate in all its forms. To strengthen and preserve our democracy. We remember the tragic legacy of Executive Order 9066 — and the trauma it inflicted — by reaffirming the Federal Government’s formal apology to Japanese Americans.”
This is all hyperbole, of course. The only thing Biden did to America’s soul was further corrupt it with the toxicity of left-wing political ideals. Nevertheless, there was no reason not to acknowledge the Italians who were placed in internment camps. There isn’t any objection to condemning what Japanese people endured. It was wrong for innocent Japanese people to be put in camps. They suffered an injustice. However, so did the Italians, who experienced the same thing.
Approximately 600,000 Italians and Italian Americans, many of whom were legal residents and even U.S. citizens, were categorized as “enemy aliens” by January 1942. After Executive Order 9066, the U.S. government ordered around 1,600 Italian citizens into internment camps around the country. Two of the most well-known camps were in Missoula, Montana, and Ellis Island, New York. Additionally, due to concerns over espionage and national security fears of attacks along the coast, about 10,000 Italian Americans were forced to relocate from their homes and move inland. Yet, apparently, the injustices they suffered didn’t matter to Biden.
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Recognizing the plight of people of European descent in the U.S. is not a priority for Biden’s or Democrats’ propaganda machine. They can’t weaponize this fact to earn political points or use it to advance the narrative of a historically racist country. The thousands of Italians who suffered as a result are essentially meaningless to Biden and the Democrats because they can’t be used as political pawns.
Unfortunately, it is indicative of Democrats who frequently prioritize race, ethnicity, and identity politics at the expense of the truth. However, the reality is that Italians were also placed in internment camps during World War II despite this fact receiving little, if any, acknowledgment. And if Biden truly cared about the “soul” of this country, he would have included something in his statement about Italians. Their injustices were just as much a violation of rights as those suffered by Japanese people. And they deserve the same kind of recognition from the president.