Denver — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper alongside Colorado U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse and Ken Buck welcomed the announcement from the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) that Amache National Historic Site in Granada, Colorado, will become America’s newest National Park. This announcement comes ahead of the Day of Remembrance of Japanese Incarceration During World War II, recognized each year on February 19.
“The forced removal of Japanese Americans to incarceration facilities like Amache during World War II is a shameful, dark period in American history and one that we must never forget,” said Bennet. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the survivors, descendants, and advocates who kept alive the memory of Americans who were interned there. We have a responsibility to carry their legacy forward, and I’m grateful that today’s designation will finally deliver the recognition and resources that Amache deserves.”
“What we choose to preserve for future generations is a statement of our values. The story of Amache is one every American should learn and refuse to repeat,” said Hickenlooper.
“The story of Amache is an important one. And today’s establishment of the Amache National Historic Site further safeguards this landscape and its cultural heritage for future generations,” said Neguse. “The community advocates, survivors, and descendants we worked with to secure this designation view Amache as a place of reflection, remembrance, and healing – it is our intention to honor their wishes and to continue to tell their stories.”
“I am proud to see that Amache National Historic Site is officially a unit of the National Park System. Located in southeastern Colorado, Amache is a chilling reminder of the injustices committed against Japanese Americans during World War II. Ensuring that Amache is preserved so that future generations can visit and learn from those tragic errors is critical to building a better future,” said Buck.
February 19 will mark the 82nd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which began the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans. Also known as the Granada Relocation Center, Amache was one of 10 incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to detain Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast of the United States under the terms of Executive Order 9066. More than 10,000 people were incarcerated at Amache from 1942-1945 – two-thirds of whom were United States citizens. In February 2022, Bennet visited the site with DOI Secretary Deb Haaland, Neguse, Amache survivors, and descendants.
“As a nation, we must face the wrongs of our past in order to build a more just and equitable future. The Interior Department has the tremendous honor of stewarding America’s public lands and natural and cultural resources to tell a complete and honest story of our nation’s history,” said Haaland. “Today’s establishment of the Amache National Historic Site will help preserve and honor this important and painful chapter in our nation’s story for future generations.”
“Amache’s addition to the National Park System is a reminder that a complete account of the nation’s history must include our dark chapters of injustice,” said Chuck Sams, Director, National Park Service. “To heal and grow as a nation we need to reflect on past mistakes, make amends, and strive to form a more perfect union.” ??
In May 2018, Bennet, Buck, and former U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) introduced the Amache Study Act to assess Amache’s historical significance and determine the feasibility of adding the site to the National Park System. In 2021, Bennet and Hickenlooper introduced the Amache National Historic Site Act to recognize Amache as part of the National Park System and worked to pass the bill with unanimous support in the Senate. In March 2022, President Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act into law and designated Amache as part of the National Park System.