During World War II, Sand Island was used as an Army internment camp to house Japanese Americans as well as expatriates from Germany, Italy, and other Axis countries living in Hawaii.

The camp opened in December 1941, soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent mass arrests of civilians accused—often without evidence—of espionage or other fifth column activity.

[1][2] During the 1970s, over 100 homeless native Hawaiians cleaned up the garbage that filled the island, built homes and took up residence.

In the early 1980s, 180 acres (73 hectares) of the island was reclaimed by the State of Hawaii for industrial and recreational development.

Even though there is much opposition, the city has disclosed plans on how it hopes to handle controversial public behaviors by some of the homeless population on the island.