[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 96 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WARTIME VIOLATION OF ITALIAN AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 1999

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague from New York, 
Congressman Lazio, to introduce the Wartime Violation of Italian 
American Civil Liberties Act. This legislation brings to light a tragic 
episode in our nation's history when Italian Americans were considered 
enemy aliens. The civil liberty abuses that Italian Americans suffered 
during this time period are not well documented and are not well known, 
but they did occur and the truth about this story, Una Storia Segreta--
the Secret Story, must be told.
  December 7, 1941 is a date that is very well known, it is the day 
that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. What is not so well known is 
that on that day Italian Americans became enemy aliens. FBI agents, 
military personnel, and local police began rounding up Italians labeled 
subversive and dangerous. Ironically, some of those labeled dangerous 
aliens had fought alongside the United States Armed Forces during World 
War I. Even more ironic is the fact that many Italians deemed enemy 
aliens had sons in the United States Armed Services fighting to protect 
the freedoms that were being taken away from their parents. Such is the 
case with Joe Ardent. Joe entered the service and did not know until he 
returned home that his father had been restricted, fired from his job, 
and considered an enemy alien.
  Mr. Speaker, during World War II, 600,000 Italian Americans were 
classified as enemy aliens, more than 10,000 were forcibly evicted from 
their homes, 52,000 were subject to strict curfew regulations and 
hundreds were shipped to internment camps without due process. These 
civil liberty abuses stretched from coast to coast as California 
fishermen had their fishing boats confiscated and were either interned 
or forced to relocate, while on the east coast, Ellis Island, the world 
renowned symbol of freedom and democracy, became a detention center for 
enemy aliens. No Italian was exempt from these injustices. Ezio Pinza, 
the star of ``South Pacific'' and the singer of the signature hit 
``Some Enchanted Evening'' was detained at Ellis Island. Pinza was 
accused of altering the tempo of his voice in order to send messages to 
the Italian government. Although these charges were clearly ludicrous, 
it took several high powered attorneys and two hearings to prevent him 
from being interned.
  We must ensure that these terrible events will never be perpetrated 
again. We must safeguard the individual rights of all Americans from 
arbitrary persecution or no American will ever be secure. The least our 
government can do is try to right this terrible wrong by acknowledging 
the fact that these events did occur. To that end, this legislation 
calls on the Department of Justice to prepare a comprehensive report 
detailing the government's unjust policies and practices during this 
time period. Included in the report will be an examination of ways in 
which civil liberties can be safeguarded during times of national 
emergencies. This report is essential in order to ensure that our 
history is well documented as those who do not learn from history are 
doomed to repeat it.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation also calls on the President, on behalf 
of the United States government, to formally acknowledge our 
government's systematic denial of basic human rights and freedoms to 
one of the largest ethnic communities in the United States. As we begin 
our Fourth of July recess, let us take this opportunity to reflect upon 
the debt we owe the Italian American community and ensure that the 
American public recognizes these injustices of the past in order to 
prevent them in the future. Sixty two of my colleagues have joined me 
in cosponsoring this bill, and I ask you Mr. Speaker, and the rest of 
my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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