About Us
The German American Internee Coalition (“GAIC”) was formed in 2005 by and for German American and Latin American citizens and legal residents who were interned by the United States during World War II. We are former internees, or their families and friends. We come from all walks of life and from countries around the world. We would like you to know our story. GAIC is a nonprofit corporation registered with the New Hampshire Department of Charitable Trusts.
Our Mission Statement & Goals
GAIC is dedicated to making public the little known United States World War II policies that led to internment, repatriation and exchange of civilians of German ethnicity, both in the United States and Latin America.
- We will educate the general public about the U.S. government’s detention and internment of over 11,000 German American and Latin American citizens and residents during World War II.
- We will reach out to former internees, their families and supporters. We will gather their stories, share information, and support their efforts to make their stories known.
- We will seek full U.S. government review and acknowledgment of the civil rights violations endured by the German American and Latin American communities.
- We will work collaboratively with other internee groups who have similar purposes. As we work toward these goals, we also hope that our efforts result in better protection of the civil liberties of future vulnerable ethnic groups.
In February 2017 we became concerned by the then President and his administration’s actions regarding immigrants. Our concerns have deepened. On March 15, 2025, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, stating that an “invasion” by a Venezuelan gang made it necessary. This allowed the administration to treat some immigrants as alien enemies, stripping them of their rights, rounding them up and deporting them to El Salvador. The Alien Enemies Act, designed for wartime use against foreign adversaries, has no place in modern immigration policy. It is time for it’s repeal. Read our statement of condemnation.
What’s New?
NPR Radio Diaries: U.S. Using Latin Americans as “Bartering Chips” during WWII
On June 29th, 2025, NPR aired a Radio Diaries story called "Inside a U.S. plan to use immigrants in Latin America as WWII bartering chips." Interviewees included Karin Harten Schramm, whose family were brought to the U.S. from Ecuador. Expecting to be exchanged, they...
John Schmitz Discusses Use of Alien Enemies Act Against Perceived Enemies
John Schmitz, history professor at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, Virginia, and author of Enemies Among Us: the Relocation, Internment & Repatriation of German, Italian & Japanese Americans During the Second World War, recently posted a video...
We Condemn Misuse of Alien Enemies Act of 1798
March 17, 2025 The German American Internee Coalition strongly condemns the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 by President Trump and his administration to roundup and deport Venezuelan immigrants. The Alien Enemies Act was last used in World War II to justify the...
Mother Jones Magazine Article on Alien Enemies Act
Mother Jones magazine published an article on March18, 2025, written by Isabela Dias, entitled “The US Used the Alien Enemies Act to Detain Their Families. Now, They are Watching History Repeat." Featuring the experiences of Heidi Gurcke Donald, who was brought with...
Ft. Meade guard tower. Image from sketch by German internee Paul Lameyer, courtesy of his grandson, Randy Houser.
History
