[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 70 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 70

Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and expressing 
  the sense of the Senate that policies that discriminate against any 
 individual based on the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national 
  origin, or religion of that individual would be a repetition of the 
  mistakes of Executive Order 9066 and contrary to the values of the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 27, 2017

  Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Mr. Carper, Mr. Coons, 
   Ms. Cortez Masto, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Kaine, Ms. 
 Klobuchar, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Reed, 
Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. 
Franken) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and expressing 
  the sense of the Senate that policies that discriminate against any 
 individual based on the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national 
  origin, or religion of that individual would be a repetition of the 
  mistakes of Executive Order 9066 and contrary to the values of the 
                             United States.

Whereas, on December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise 
        attack against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 
        which led to--

    (1) increased prejudice and suspicion toward Japanese Americans; and

    (2) calls from civilians and public officials to remove Japanese 
Americans from the west coast of the United States;

Whereas, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed 
        Executive Order 9066 (7 Fed. Reg. 1407; relating to authorizing the 
        Secretary of War to prescribe military areas) (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``Executive Order 9066''), which led to--

    (1) the exclusion of all individuals of Japanese ancestry in the United 
States; and

    (2) the incarceration of 120,313 United States citizens and lawful 
permanent residents of Japanese ancestry in incarceration camps during 
World War II;

Whereas President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive Order 9066 in 
        Presidential Proclamation 4417, dated February 19, 1976 (41 Fed. Reg. 
        7741) (referred to in this preamble as ``Presidential Proclamation 
        4417'');
Whereas Presidential Proclamation 4417--

    (1) states that Japanese Americans were and are loyal people of the 
United States who have contributed to the well-being and security of the 
United States;

    (2) states that the issuance of Executive Order 9066 was a grave 
mistake in United States history; and

    (3) resolves that actions such as the actions authorized by Executive 
Order 9066 shall never happen again;

Whereas, in 1980, Congress established the Commission on Wartime Relocation and 
        Internment of Civilians to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 
        issuance of Executive Order 9066;
Whereas, in 1983, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of 
        Civilians issued a report entitled ``Personal Justice Denied'' in which 
        the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians 
        concluded that--

    (1) the promulgation of Executive Order 9066 was not justified by 
military necessity; and

    (2) the decision to issue Executive Order 9066 was shaped by ``race 
prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership'';

Whereas, on August 10, 1988, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-
        383; 102 Stat. 903) was enacted--

    (1) to acknowledge the grave injustice done to citizens and permanent 
residents of the United States of Japanese ancestry by requiring the 
evacuation, relocation, and internment of those individuals during World 
War II;

    (2) to apologize for ``fundamental violations of the basic civil 
liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese 
ancestry'' and provide monetary reparations to Japanese Americans who had 
been incarcerated by the Federal Government; and

    (3) to establish the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund to ensure 
that ``the events surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and 
incarceration of civilians and permanent resident aliens of Japanese 
ancestry will be remembered, and so that the causes and circumstances of 
this and similar events may be illuminated and understood'';

Whereas the terrorist attacks carried out in the United States on September 11, 
        2001, have led to heightened levels of suspicion and hate crimes, 
        xenophobia, and bigotry directed toward the Arab, Middle Eastern, South 
        Asian, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu American communities, including--

    (1) on August 5, 2012, an attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak 
Creek, Wisconsin, which led to several injuries and the death of 6 Sikh 
Americans; and

    (2) on February 10, 2015, the execution-style shooting of 3 Muslim 
American students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina;

Whereas the terrorist attacks carried out in Paris, France, on November 5, 2015, 
        have led to renewed calls from public officials and figures to register 
        Muslim Americans and bar millions of individuals from entering the 
        United States based solely on the religion of those individuals, 
        repeating the mistakes of 1942;
Whereas Executive Order 13769 (82 Fed. Reg. 8977; relating to protecting the 
        Nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States) (in this 
        preamble referred to as ``Executive Order 13769''), issued on January 
        27, 2017, embodies an unconstitutional, disruptive step backwards that 
        has promoted discrimination against individuals based on national origin 
        and religion, which is contrary to the values of the United States; and
Whereas, on February 9, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth 
        Circuit unanimously upheld the decision of a Federal district court 
        judge to temporarily block the implementation of Executive Order 13769: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the historical significance of February 19, 
        1942, as the date on which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
        signed Executive Order 9066 (7 Fed. Reg. 1407; relating to 
        authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe military areas) 
        (referred to in this resolving clause as ``Executive Order 
        9066''), which restricted the freedom of Japanese Americans;
            (2) recognizes the historical significance of February 19, 
        1976, as the date on which President Gerald Ford issued 
        Presidential Proclamation 4417 (41 Fed. Reg. 7741), which 
        formally terminated Executive Order 9066;
            (3) supports the goals of the Japanese American community 
        in recognizing a National Day of Remembrance to increase public 
        awareness about the unjust measures taken to restrict the 
        freedom of Japanese Americans during World War II;
            (4) expresses the sense that the National Day of 
        Remembrance described in paragraph (3) is an opportunity--
                    (A) to reflect on the importance of upholding 
                justice and civil liberties for all people of the 
                United States; and
                    (B) to oppose hate, xenophobia, and bigotry;
            (5) recognizes the positive contributions that people of 
        the United States of every race, ethnicity, religion, and 
        national origin have made to the United States;
            (6) steadfastly confirms the dedication of the Senate to 
        the rights and dignity of all people of the United States; and
            (7) expresses the sense that policies that discriminate 
        against any individual based on the actual or perceived race, 
        ethnicity, national origin, or religion of that individual 
        would be--
                    (A) a repetition of the mistakes of Executive Order 
                9066; and
                    (B) contrary to the values of the United States.
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