Tuna Canyon (Photo – tunacanyon.org)
Though often overlooked in American history, the Tuna Canyon Detention Station holds a critical place in understanding the injustices faced by immigrant communities during World War II.
By Donna Sugimoto
Unlike the large-scale camps like Manzanar, Tuna Canyon was a smaller, lesser-known site that detained individuals without due process—primarily men considered threats by the government.
Tuna Canyon was not a concentration camp like Manzanar but a detention station that housed Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants, including some from Peru. Located in Tujunga within the City of Los Angeles rather than a desolate desert region, it operated under the authority of the U.S. Department of Justice. The detainees were largely men who were prominent figures in their communities, including teachers, doctors, and even martial arts instructors like Shinsuke Sugimoto, the author’s grandfather.
Tuna Canyon was established not under Executive Order 9066, which authorized the internment of West Coast Japanese Americans, but under Presidential Proclamations 2525, 2526, and 2527. These proclamations, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, allowed the U.S. government to imprison without trial citizens of World War II Axis nations living in the U.S. who were deemed to be dangerous. A majority were Japanese immigrants and Japanese nationals—many of whom had been contributing members of American society for decades but who were prohibited by law from becoming American citizens.
Today, the site of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station looks very different. The barbed wire, guard towers, and barracks are long gone. In their place lies an overgrown golf course, abandoned and neglected, with an uncertain future. Yet, the historic oak trees still stand, silent witnesses to the painful history that unfolded there. The Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition, a group dedicated to preserving this history, hopes to one day transform the site into an educational and memorial space, allowing future generations to reflect on the injustices that took place.
The memories of those detained at Tuna Canyon are kept alive by the Coalition, which aims to educate the public about this chapter of American history. One of their efforts is a traveling exhibit featuring an Honor Wall that displays the names of Tuna Canyon prisoners, compiled by Dr. Russell Endo, who spent years documenting Tuna Canyon’s important history. Many visitors to the exhibit have recognized their relatives’ names, uncovering hidden parts of their family histories.
For the author, the history of Tuna Canyon became personal only decades after their childhood in Burbank. It wasn’t until after their father’s passing, while going through family belongings, that they discovered letters from their grandfather, Shinsuke Sugimoto, written during his time at Tuna Canyon. The letters, stamped with “TUNA CANYON DETENTION STATION,” revealed the shocking truth that the author’s grandfather had been unjustly detained just a few miles from where they had grown up—a fact they had never known.
Shinsuke Sugimoto was born in 1884 in Kyoto, Japan, and immigrated to Canada in 1906. After becoming a naturalized British citizen and
living and working in England, he moved to the U.S., where he eventually settled in Marysville, California. He married Misao Toyama in 1918, and together they raised four children. The family later moved to Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, where Shinsuke continued to support his family through various occupations, including accounting, sales, insurance, and real estate. Despite the hardships of the Great Depression, Shinsuke remained a prominent member of the local Japanese community, teaching and practicing kendo at the neighborhood dojo.
But after the attack on Pearl Harbor, everything changed. On February 21, 1942, the FBI arrived at the Sugimoto family home, arrested Shinsuke without formal charges, and took him to the Los Angeles County Jail and then to Tuna Canyon. His involvement in martial arts and affiliation with a kendo organization were enough for the government to deem him a “dangerous enemy alien.”
Present day Tuna Canyon Camp location.
In his letters from Tuna Canyon, Shinsuke described his experiences in the detention camp, how he was suddenly arrested and taken away without even being given time to dress. Despite the dire circumstances, he expressed concern for his unfinished work, even worrying about the tax returns of a client. His letters reflect the uncertainty and fear that gripped both him and his family during this period. His wife and children, separated from him, were left to navigate the uncertainty of forced evacuation and the future of their family.
In March 1942, Shinsuke was transferred to a Department of Justice camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, even further from his family. There, he endured more months of separation before being allowed a hearing. Afterward, he was reunited with his family, who under Executive Order 9066 had been removed from their homes to the Santa Anita Racetrack, which had been converted into a temporary detention center for Japanese Americans. Eventually, the Sugimoto family was sent to the Amache concentration camp in Colorado, where they endured harsh conditions for over two years.
Tragically, Shinsuke did not survive this long and painful journey. Three years after his arrest, and after suffering two strokes, he passed away at age 61 in Amache, still a prisoner. In hindsight, he probably should not have ever been imprisoned in Tuna Canyon, Santa Anita, and Amache because he was a naturalized British citizen.
The author’s connection to this history is deeply personal, as she only learned of her grandfather’s incarceration later in life. Today, the artifacts—letters, photos, and documents—serve not only as a personal reminder but as a way to preserve and share the story of Shinsuke Sugimoto and many others who suffered similar fates. Some of these artifacts are now part of the Smithsonian’s online collection, ensuring that this history is not forgotten.
Tuna Canyon’s story is not just a family history, it’s a part of American history. As new debates over immigration, civil liberties, and national security continue to unfold around the world, the importance of remembering these stories remains as critical as ever. The Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition is working to ensure that the experiences of those detained there are not lost to time, so that future generations can learn from the past and prevent such injustices from happening again.
By illuminating the past, we are reminded of the resilience of the people who lived through these dark chapters of history, and inspired to work toward a future where such injustices are never repeated.
Donna Sugimoto is a descendant of Tuna Canyon Detention Station and the Secretary of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition.
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