The government's actions had a devastating impact on Japanese Americans. Many lost everything they had and were forced to start over from scratch after the war. The internment experience also left a lasting legacy of trauma and discrimination for Japanese Americans.
In 1988, the United States government issued a formal apology for the internment of Japanese Americans and enacted the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided reparations to survivors. However, the damage done to Japanese Americans and their communities could never be fully repaired.