[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10841-S10842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WARTIME VIOLATION OF ITALIAN AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ACT

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 862, H.R. 2442.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 2442) to provide for the preparation of a 
     Government report detailing injustices suffered by Italian 
     Americans during World War II, and a formal acknowledgment of 
     such injustices by the President.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
bill, which had been reported from the Committee on the Judiciary, with 
amendments, as follows:

  [Omit the parts in boldface brackets and insert the part printed in 
italic.]

                               H.R. 2442

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Wartime Violation of Italian 
     American Civil Liberties Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The freedom of more than 600,000 Italian-born 
     immigrants in the United States and their families was 
     restricted during World War II by Government measures that 
     branded them ``enemy aliens'' and included carrying 
     identification cards, travel restrictions, and seizure of 
     personal property.
       (2) During World War II more than 10,000 Italian Americans 
     living on the West Coast were forced to leave their homes and 
     prohibited from entering coastal zones. More than 50,000 were 
     subjected to curfews.
       (3) During World War II thousands of Italian American 
     immigrants were arrested, and hundreds were interned in 
     military camps.
       (4) Hundreds of thousands of Italian Americans performed 
     exemplary service and thousands sacrificed their lives in 
     defense of the United States.
       (5) At the time, Italians were the largest foreign-born 
     group in the United States, and today are the fifth largest 
     immigrant group in the United States, numbering approximately 
     15 million.
       (6) The impact of the wartime experience was devastating to 
     Italian American communities in the United States, and its 
     effects are still being felt.
       (7) A deliberate policy kept these measures from the public 
     during the war. Even 50 years later much information is still 
     classified, the full story remains unknown to the public, and 
     it has never been acknowledged in any official capacity by 
     the United States Government.

     SEC. 3. REPORT.

       The [Inspector] Attorney General [of the Department of 
     Justice] shall conduct a comprehensive review of the 
     treatment by the United States Government of Italian 
     Americans during World War II, and not later than one year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act shall submit to 
     the Congress a report that documents the findings of such 
     review. The report shall cover the period between September 
     1, 1939, and December 31, 1945, and shall include the 
     following:
       (1) The names of all Italian Americans who were taken into 
     custody in the initial roundup following the attack on Pearl 
     Harbor, and prior to the United States declaration of war 
     against Italy.
       (2) The names of all Italian Americans who were taken into 
     custody.
       (3) The names of all Italian Americans who were interned 
     and the location where they were interned.
       (4) The names of all Italian Americans who were ordered to 
     move out of designated areas under the United States Army's 
     ``Individual Exclusion Program''.
       (5) The names of all Italian Americans who were arrested 
     for curfew, contraband, or other violations under the 
     authority of Executive Order No. 9066.
       (6) Documentation of Federal Bureau of Investigation raids 
     on the homes of Italian Americans.
       (7) A list of ports from which Italian American fishermen 
     were restricted.
       (8) The names of Italian American fishermen who were 
     prevented from fishing in prohibited zones and therefore 
     unable to pursue their livelihoods.
       (9) The names of Italian Americans whose boats were 
     confiscated.
       (10) The names of Italian American railroad workers who 
     were prevented from working in prohibited zones.
       (11) A list of all civil liberties infringements suffered 
     by Italian Americans during World War II, as a result of 
     Executive Order No. 9066, including internment, hearings 
     without benefit of counsel, illegal searches and seizures, 
     travel restrictions, enemy alien registration requirements, 
     employment restrictions, confiscation of property, and forced 
     evacuation from homes.

[[Page S10842]]

       (12) An explanation of [why some] whether Italian Americans 
     were subjected to civil liberties infringements, as a result 
     of Executive Order No. 9066, [while] and if so, why other 
     Italian Americans were not.
       (13) A review of the wartime restrictions on Italian 
     Americans to determine how civil liberties can be better 
     protected during national emergencies.

     SEC. 4. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of the Congress that--
       (1) the story of the treatment of Italian Americans during 
     World War II needs to be told in order to acknowledge that 
     these events happened, to remember those whose lives were 
     unjustly disrupted and whose freedoms were violated, to help 
     repair the damage to the Italian American community, and to 
     discourage the occurrence of similar injustices and 
     violations of civil liberties in the future;
       (2) Federal agencies, including the Department of Education 
     and the National Endowment for the Humanities, should support 
     projects such as--
       (A) conferences, seminars, and lectures to heighten 
     awareness of this unfortunate chapter in our Nation's 
     history;
       (B) the refurbishment of and payment of all expenses 
     associated with the traveling exhibit ``Una Storia Segreta'', 
     exhibited at major cultural and educational institutions 
     throughout the United States; and
       (C) documentaries to allow this issue to be presented to 
     the American public to raise its awareness;
       (3) an independent, volunteer advisory committee should be 
     established comprised of representatives of Italian American 
     organizations, historians, and other interested individuals 
     to assist in the compilation, research, and dissemination of 
     information concerning the treatment of Italian Americans; 
     and
       (4) after completion of the report required by this Act, 
     financial support should be provided for the education of the 
     American public through the production of a documentary film 
     suited for public broadcast.

     [SEC. 5. FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.]

       (5) The President [shall] should, on behalf of the United 
     States Government, formally acknowledge that these events 
     during World War II represented a fundamental injustice 
     against Italian Americans.

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the Wartime 
Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act. While the American 
people generally know about the internment of Japanese Americans during 
World War II, they are largely unaware of the U.S. government's 
mistreatment of people of other ethnic backgrounds during this 
difficult time in our nation's history. I believe we need a complete 
and thorough review of our government's mistreatment of Americans 
during World War II.
  Mr. President, S. 2442 is a worthy bill. I had some reservations 
about this bill because it is not as inclusive as it might have been. 
The U.S. should fully assess its treatment of all Americans of European 
descent during World War II, including Italian and German Americans, as 
well as European refugees fleeing persecution, to acknowledge those 
whose lives were unjustly disrupted and whose freedoms were violated 
and to discourage the future occurrence of similar injustices.
  I recognize, however, that time is short in this session of Congress. 
So, I will not object to H.R. 2442 going forward at this time. But I 
want my colleagues to know that by withholding an objection at this 
time, I am not abandoning my effort to make sure that the mistreatment 
of other Americans during World War II, including German Americans, and 
European refugees are also properly recognized and reviewed. I look 
forward to working with Senator Hatch and my colleagues on this issue 
next year.
  Mr. HATCH. I thank the Senator from Wisconsin for his comments. I 
appreciate the Senator's comments and plan to work with him next year 
to examine the experiences of others whose liberties may not have been 
respected by our government during World War II.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
committee amendments be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and 
passed, as amended, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendments were agreed to.
  The bill (H.R. 2442), as amended, was read the third time and passed.

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