The Bush administration on Friday designated the Tule Lake Segregation Center as a national historic landmark in recognition of the thousands of Japanese Americans interned at the Northern California camp during World War II.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein had pressured Interior Secretary Gale Norton to make the designation before Feb. 19, the anniversary of former President Franklin Roosevelt's signing of the 1942 executive order to evict and intern 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry at the camps.

"On the weekend of the Day of Remembrance, I am pleased to designate Tule Lake as a National Historic Landmark so that all might learn of the significance of the site," Norton said in a statement released late Friday.

Feinstein praised the designation, saying it would help ensure that aging survivors of the camp will be honored before they die.

"The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was a grim chapter in America's history," Feinstein said "The center will serve as a lasting reminder of our ability to inflict pain and suffering upon our fellow Americans."

The designation as a landmark will help pave the way for more federal money to support public visits to the historic camp.

The House authorized up to $38 million in federal funds in November to restore 10 internment camps, including Tule Lake and Manzanar in the eastern Sierra. The Senate approved $200,000 in the Interior appropriations bill in July to help preserve the Tule Lake site.

The camp, located near the California-Oregon border, was called a "segregation center" because it housed internees who refused to swear a loyalty oath to the United States or who caused disruptions at other camps. At its peak, the center held more than 18,000 people; it was not closed until March 20, 1946.

For more information on the history of the camp, visit www.tulelake.org.