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?
Document Archive
Materials Related to World War II Control and Internment of Civilians in the United States and Latin America Alien Enemies Act of 1798 Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders Presidential Proclamations, Dec 1941: Japanese 2525 German 2526 Italian 2527...
Curriculum
CURRICULUM GUIDE AND LESSON PLANS Curriculum Guide and Lesson Plans, including Three One-Act Plays The following Instructions to Teachers, Lesson Plan Table of Contents and Lesson Plans are available in pdf format by clicking on the related, highlighted document...
Internee Records
OBTAINING AN INTERNEE'S RECORDS For many, the decision to request family internment records is a difficult one. You are not sure what you will get or if you will like what you read. The decision is an individual one, and the GAIC generally encourages document...
Inouye Memoir
Hisao Inouye's Story While our website is about German American and Latin American residents interned during WW II, we are making an exception to post Hisao Inouye's memoirs here. He was held in temporary facilities, a military prison, and various Immigration...
Ft. Meade guard tower. Image from sketch by German internee Paul Lameyer, courtesy of his grandson, Randy Houser.
History
