These detention barracks were built for Chinese and Japanese men and women, although shortly after opening all women were moved to the Administration Building. Because of restrictive exclusion laws, Chinese immigrants were detained the longest. Some carved poetry into the barracks walls to voice their opinions or lament their fate, and other detainees also left messages and inscriptions there. South Asians, Russians, Pacific Islanders, “enemy aliens”, and federal prisoners were also housed here. At any given time, 200 to 600 people occupied these rooms, where living conditions were crowded, ventilation was poor, the restrooms were filthy, and the barracks were filled with rows of multi-tiered bunks.