[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FOR THE CHILDREN

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 16, 1999

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, it is our responsibility as 
leaders and parents to act in the best interests of our children. It is 
our responsibility to provide our children with opportunities so that 
they can maximize their potential and make positive contributions to 
society. All children should have this opportunity. When individuals 
are not afforded a chance, this can limit their future. Consequently, 
due to this shared responsibility, I felt that it was necessary to 
introduce the American Asian Justice Act of 1999.
  This bill will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to 
facilitate the immigration to the United States of children born in the 
Philippines and Japan who were fathered by United States servicemen. 
While the children fathered by American citizens in Vietnam, Laos, 
Thailand, Kampuchea and Korea are allowed to immigrate to the United 
States, Philippine Amerasian children are denied this right because 
they were excluded from the 1982 U.S. Amerasian Law.
  For several years, the Philippines and Japan served as a central 
location for military operations in the Far East. As a result, 
interracial relationships and marriages produced approximately 50,000 
children of mixed ancestry. The majority of these children are now 
suffering and estranged in the Philippines today. Many children are 
stigmatized because they are considered illegitimate or have mixed 
ethnic ancestry and have been denied access to viable employment and 
education opportunities, causing these children to live in conditions 
of severe poverty. In addition, in June 1991, Mt. Pinatubo, which is 
located within miles of these U.S. bases, erupted and caused severe 
damage, leaving thousands of children of mixed ancestry abandoned, 
helpless, and without means of support.
  Therefore, the time has come to expand the U.S. Amerasian Law to 
include the children of the Philippines and Japan, and facilitate their 
passage to the United States under the sponsorship of their U.S. 
relatives. It is time to help these children immigrate to the United 
States so they can grow up with the love and support of their own 
families. It is our responsibility to help these children. In helping 
these children we are helping ourselves.




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