Mr. Miyagi, Al Capone, and the Chicago Bulls

Quick thoughts about a lesson from middle school.

I’ve recently had flashbacks to lessons I learned in middle school from my 7th-grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Takahashi. As strange as it may sound, these lessons have quietly lingered somewhere in my memory before reappearing the past few weeks, as a warning sign of sorts.

Now, Mrs. Takahashi was a fantastic teacher in her own right—she won the prestigious Golden Apple award that recognizes the top educators in Illinois. But she was also a great storyteller (clearly, as they stick out all these years later).

One story, about her parents’ friendship with Pat Morita, stands out in particular. Aside from how it involved the Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid, the story’s setting was also noteworthy—they met while detained in an internment camp in California during World War 2.

So when I read the initial rumors about Trump’s team potentially using the Alien Enemies Act to facilitate their mass detention and removal of undocumented immigrants, I thought of that story. I thought of Mrs. Takahashi sharing that very personal story of her family’s traumatic history, somehow now resonating in me 20 years later.

For those who aren’t familiar, the last time the Act was invoked was December 1941 by FDR, in response to the Pearl Harbor attack and the outset of direct U.S. involvement in World War 2¹.

Entrance to the Manzanar War Relocation Center; Sign marking the entrance to the Manzanar War Relocation Center, near Lone Pine, California; photograph by Ansel Adams, 1943. Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

By invoking the Alien Enemies Act, the government was authorized to detain and remove Japanese, Italian, and German non-citizens living in the U.S. The Act was part of the underlying basis for the government’s internment of around 120,000 Japanese-Americans (citizens and non-citizens alike) in response to racist hysteria and political pressure².

The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked three times, each time during a major conflict: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. In World Wars I and II, the law was a key authority behind detentions, expulsions, and restrictions targeting German, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, and Italian immigrants based solely on their ancestry. The law is best known for its role in Japanese internment, a shameful part of U.S. history for which Congress, presidents, and the courts have apologized.

– Brennan Center Research Report “The Alien Enemies Act, Explained” (2024)

Japanese American internment, Japanese Americans being relocated to detention camps in California, 1942. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Another story from Mrs. Takahashi that popped up this morning: her explanation, as a well-traveled educator, of the common affiliations people abroad have with the city of Chicago. I remember her explaining how two of the most common connections people have are 1.) Al Capone, and 2.) Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls (this was shortly after their ‘90s dynasty era, after all).

Why did this story resurface this morning? I saw the Chicago Tribune headline from the screenshot above—about the Michael Jordan Jumpman and Bulls logos, now a focus for the government to use as evidence in detaining and removing non-citizens. There’s even a DHS checklist suggesting tattoos and clothing with the logos can be evidence of affiliation with gangs like Tren de Aragua³, making it easier to deport them quickly and efficiently (like Amazon Prime!)…under the Alien Enemies Act, recently invoked by Trump⁴.

I’m incredibly grateful for the lessons Mrs. Takahashi shared. And while it seems like we’ve lost our way, and returned to a dark past where racist cruelty dominates over rationality, I’m also hopeful at least one or two of your former students are out there sitting with these same (or similar) stories right now, inspired to act against these abuses of power.

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RECOMMENDED READING:
For a more in-depth look at how and why the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act (and its impact so far), I strongly recommend Austin Kocher’s newsletter. Austin is an academic expert on the systems involved in this effort, and specializes in turning government data and complex legal concepts into plain language, highly-informative explanations.

1. “The Alien Enemies Act, Explained”, Katherine Yon Ebright (Brennan Center for Justice, October 2024)

2. “Japanese American internment”, Encyclopaedia Britannica (Updated March 2025)

3. “A Chicago Bulls hat triggered a man’s deportation — and profiling of such apparel and tattoos could be on the rise”, Julia Poe (Chicago Tribune, April 11 2025)

4. “Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is under scrutiny. Here's what to know.”, Nicole Brown Chau (CBS News, April 08 2025)