Behind Barbed Wire [Video]

By 1944, President Roosevelt and the government felt pressure to end the detentions. Fears of a Japanese invasion had faded. That year, people in some camps were allowed to leave. In December 1944, the U.S. government suspended Executive Order 9066. The incarceration camps would close by the end of 1945. 

Archie was ready. By then he had met his future wife, Takeko, at Manzanar. In spring 1945, Archie moved back to Los Angeles and found work. His family stayed at Manzanar for the time being, waiting for their house to become available. That fall, Archie and his father visited other camps to photograph them.

On September 2, 1945, Japan officially surrendered to U.S. forces. Two months later, Manzanar closed for good. The Miyatakes were eventually able to move back into their house. But many families weren’t so lucky. Without homes or jobs, they had to start over with nothing. Lingering …