[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 134 (Tuesday, October 24, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H10627-H10629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WARTIME VIOLATION OF ITALIAN AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ACT

  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
Senate amendments to the 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.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Senate amendments:
       Page 3, line 11, strike out ``Inspector'' and insert 
     ``Attorney''.
       Page 3, line 11, strike out ``of the Department of 
     Justice''
       Page 5, line 7, strike out ``why some'' and insert 
     ``whether''.
       Page 5, line 9, strike out ``while'' and insert ``and if 
     so, why''.
       Page 7, strike out line 1
       Page 7, line 2, before ``The'' insert: (5)
       Page 7, line 2, strike out ``shall'' and insert ``should''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Bono) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on November 10, 1999, the House passed H.R. 2442 by 
voice vote. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the 
Committee on the Judiciary, stated then that few people know that 
during World War II approximately 600,000 Italian Americans in the 
United States were deprived of their civil liberties by government 
measures that branded them ``enemy aliens.'' In fact, on December 7, 
1941, hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the FBI took 
into custody hundreds of Italian-American resident aliens previously 
classified as dangerous and shipped them to camps where they were 
imprisoned until Italy surrendered in 1943.
  As so-called enemy aliens, Italian-American resident aliens were 
required to carry special identification booklets at all times, and 
they were forced to turn into the government such items as shortwave 
radios, cameras, and flashlights. Those suspected of retaining these 
items had their homes raided by FBI agents.
  In California, about 52,000 Italian-American resident aliens were 
subjected to a curfew that confined them to their homes between 8 p.m. 
and 6 a.m. and a travel restriction that prohibited them from traveling 
further than 5 miles from their homes. These measures made it 
difficult, if not impossible, for some Italian Americans to travel to 
their jobs, and thousands were arrested for violations of these and 
other restrictions.
  Then, on February 24, 1942, 10,000 Italian-American resident aliens 
living in California were ordered by the Federal Government to evacuate 
coastal and military zones. Most of those had to abandon their homes, 
some of whom were taken away in wheelchairs and on stretchers. Later in 
the fall of 1942, about 25 Italian-American citizens were ordered to 
evacuate these areas.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2442, the ``Wartime Violation of Italian American 
Civil Liberties Act,'' requires the Department of Justice to conduct a 
comprehensive review of the Federal Government's treatment of Italian 
Americans during World War II and to submit to the Congress a report 
that documents the findings of that review.
  In addition, H.R. 2442 encourages Federal agencies, including the 
Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities, 
to support, among other things, conferences, seminars, and lectures to 
heighten awareness of the injustices committed against Italian 
Americans.
  The Senate amendments are mostly technical in nature. The bill, as 
amended by the Senate, would leave it to the Attorney General as 
opposed to the Inspector General of the Justice Department to conduct a 
comprehensive review of the government's treatment of Italian Americans 
during World War II. The House version of the bill directs the 
President to acknowledge that these events occurred, whereas the Senate 
version provides that it is the sense of Congress that the President 
should fully acknowledge them.
  Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 2442 as amended by the Senate and urge 
members to vote in favor of H.R. 2442.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this important bipartisan 
measure that acknowledges the indignities and discriminations suffered 
by Italian Americans during World War II. I thank the gentlewoman from 
California for her leadership, particularly on this very special day.
  Of course, I will always remember the vital role that America's 
greatest generation played in defeating the threats to democracy and 
freedom abroad during World War II. At the same time, we must never 
forget that in its zeal to defeat foreign tyrants, the United States 
Government did a great disservice to democracy by violating the civil 
rights and civil liberties of hundreds of thousands of Italian-born 
immigrants here at home.
  Simply because of their nationality, Italian Americans were labeled 
``enemy aliens.'' More than 600,000 of these citizens were forced to 
carry identification cards, had their personal property seized, and 
their freedom of travel restricted. Tens of thousands of other Italian 
Americans were forced from their homes, placed under curfews, and 
prohibited from entering coastal areas of our country, and many others 
were arrested and even interned in military camps.
  Unfortunately, most Americans today are not even aware of this tragic 
chapter in our history. This is why the legislation is so important, 
because it will allow a full airing of the story of the treatment of 
Italian Americans during World War II to be told. In telling the story, 
the legislation would require the Attorney General to conduct a 
comprehensive review of the government's treatment of Italian Americans 
that would identify by name those Italian Americans who were innocent 
victims of discrimination. They are the grandparents, the parents, and 
cousins of millions of Italian Americans in America today.
  We must learn from our history, even when that history shows our 
national government failed to uphold values underpinning our democracy, 
so that we

[[Page H10628]]

do not subject future generations of Americans to senseless and 
unlawful deprivations of their civil liberties in the name of national 
security.
  However, this legislation has another important purpose. It also 
provides an opportunity for the United States Government, through the 
President, to officially acknowledge that discrimination against 
Italian Americans during World War II represented a fundamental 
injustice toward Italian Americans. Such an acknowledgment will follow 
other historic and important acts of official contrition, such as 
President Clinton's official apology for this Nation's role in the 
African slave trade and our treatment of Japanese Americans during 
World War II.
  Part of fulfilling the promise of our democracy requires owning up to 
our past. By passing this bill, we tell Italian Americans and, by 
extension, all Americans, that equality under the law includes honesty 
about our history.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).
  (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Wartime Violation 
of Italian American Civil Liberties Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for H.R. 2442, the Wartime 
Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act. This bill is one 
that is very important to me, my constituents, and Italian-Americans 
across the nation. I want to thank my good friend, Rick Lazio, for 
introducing this bill, along with Congressman Engel.
  Much has been written about the internment of 100,000 Japanese-
Americans during World War II, but the injustices suffered by Italian-
Americans are less well known. During World War II, approximately 
600,000 Italian-born immigrants in the United States were branded 
``enemy aliens'' by the federal government. While thousands of Italian-
Americans were fighting for our country in Europe and the Pacific, 
Italian-Americans who were deemed ``enemy aliens'' were losing their 
homes, jobs and businesses. Entire Italian-American communities on the 
West Coast were evacuated. Yet fifty years later, theirs is a largely 
untold story.
  H.R. 2442 will require the Department of Justice to conduct an 
extensive study on the treatment of Italian-Americans in the United 
States during World War II, and encourage educational projects to 
heighten public awareness, and it calls on the President to formally 
acknowledge this shameful episode in our nation's history.
  Such an acknowledgment is long overdue. It is high time that our 
nation recognize the enormous contributions of Italian-Americans and 
the discrimination and loss of basic rights that many of them faced.
  Doing so will not only help make amends to the specific individuals 
who suffered, but it will strengthen the fabric of American society 
which is damaged whenever one segment of the American people is cut off 
and subjected to discrimination.
  I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Lazio's bill.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank the Chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee, Mr. Hyde, and the Ranking Member, Mr. Conyers, for 
their efforts in bringing HR 2442 to the floor again today. With the 
recent passage of the Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil 
Liberties Act in the Senate, I look forward to sending this bill to the 
President. I have worked on this legislation with may colleague from 
New York, Mr. Lazio, and I am proud to be here today to express my 
support for its passage.
  On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United 
States entered World War II. What has been overlooked since that day is 
the fact that many Italian Americans suddenly became ``enemy aliens''. 
Loyal Italian American patriots who had fought alongside the United 
States Armed Forces in World War I, mothers and fathers of U.S. troops, 
even women and children were suspected of being dangerous and 
subversive. With this new enemy alien status, Italians were subjected 
to strict curfew regulations, forced to carry photo ID's and could not 
travel further than a 5 mile radius from their homes without prior 
approval. Furthermore, many Italian fishermen were forbidden from using 
their boats in prohibited zones. Since fishing was the only means of 
income for many families, households were torn apart or completely 
relocated as alternative sources of income were sought.
  It is difficult to believe that over 10,000 Italians deemed enemy 
aliens were forcibly evacuated from their homes and over 52,000 were 
subject to strict curfew regulations. Ironically, over 500,000 Italians 
were serving in the United States Armed Forces fighting to protect the 
liberties of all Americans, while many of their family members had 
their basic freedoms revoked.
  Whe we first started working on this legislation we had vague 
accounts of mostly anonymous Italians who were subjected to these civil 
liberties abuses. However, throughout this process we have come in 
contact with many Italians who experienced the internment ordeal first 
hand. Dominic DiMaggio testified at a Judiciary Committee hearing about 
his dismay when he returned from the war to find that his mother and 
father were enemy aliens. Doris Pinza, wife of international opera star 
Ezio Pinza, also testified at the hearing about her husband who was 
only weeks away from obtaining U.S. citizenship when he was classified 
as an enemy alien and detained at Ellis Island. It still saddens me to 
think that Ellis Island, the world renowned symbol of freedom and 
democracy, was used as a holding cell for Italians. There is even 
documented evidence of Italians being interned in camps at Missoula, 
Montana.
  Mr. Speaker, 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 these terrible 
wrongs by acknowledging that these events did occur. While we cannot 
erase the mistakes of the past, we must try to learn from them in order 
to ensure that we never subject anyone to the same injustices.
  The Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act calls 
for the Department of Justice to publish a report detailing the unjust 
policies of the government during this time period. Essential to the 
report will be a study examining ways to safeguard individual rights 
during national emergencies.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe it to the Italian American community, especially 
those who endured these abuses, to recognize the injustices of the 
past. Documentation and education about the suffering of all groups of 
Americans who face persecution is important in order to ensure that no 
group's civil liberties are ever violated again. I am pleased to 
support this legislation and urge its swift passage.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Congressman Rick Lazio 
for bringing this bill to our national attention. I was shocked when I 
first heard of these abuses against one of the most loyal segments of 
our society. This secret story, this secret history of wartime 
restrictions on Italian Americans living in the United States has been 
hidden from the American history books. I first learned of this 
situation when Anthony La Piana, a constituent from my district, came 
to visit me last year and told me of the events after the bombing of 
Pearl Harbor and how the FBI took hundreds of Italian American resident 
aliens and sent them to camps for the duration of the war. I wondered 
how many people have never heard of these terrible abuses. This bill 
does not put the question of reparations or looking for money or 
anything like that before us. It is simply a matter of the truth has 
been obscured and it ought not be obscured. The truth has to be told.
  During the war, Italian American resident aliens were forced to carry 
special photo-identification booklets at all times, and required to 
turn over to the government any shortwave radios, cameras or 
flashlights. During this time in California, approximately 52,000 
Italian American resident aliens were subject to curfews and travel 
restrictions that made it difficult, if not impossible to travel to 
their jobs. In February 1942, thousands were ordered evacuated by the 
government from coastal and military zones.
  One of the witnesses before the House Judiciary Committee, Professor 
Lawrence DiStasi, Executive Director, Order Sons of Italy in America, 
initiated the process of educating the country about this unspoken 
chapter of American history. He was instrumental in the early 1990's by 
working with the American Italian Historical Association's Western 
Regional Chapter to create a touring exhibit titled, ``Una Storia 
Segreta,'' (the words in Italian mean both ``a secret story'' and ``a 
secret history''). This touring educational exhibit, which also has an 
Internet web site, displays collected photographs, artifacts, letters 
written by victims, family belongings, posters, memorabilia, and 
papers. These items provide tangible documentation of the treatment of 
Italian Americans who endured the confusion, indignity, and losses of 
World War II, for the most part, in silence. I urge you to support H.R. 
2442, as amended by the Senate, and urge Members to vote in favor of 
this bill.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor of the bill, I am 
pleased to rise as an original cosponsor of the Wartime Violation of 
Italian American Civil Liberties Act.

[[Page H10629]]

  H.R. 2442 will officially acknowledge the denial of human rights and 
freedoms of Italian Americans during World War II by the United States 
government. While many Americans know the sad history of our nation's 
treatment of Japanese-Americans following Pearl Harbor and our entry 
into World War II, remarkably few Americans know that shortly after 
that attack, the attention and concern of the U.S. government was 
similarly focused on Italian-Americans. More than 600,000 Italian 
Americans were determined to be enemy aliens by their own government. 
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. Constitutional guarantees of due process were 
unrecognized.
  Although they had family members whose basic rights had been revoked, 
more than a half million Italian Americans served this nation with 
honor and valor to defeat fascism during World War II. Thousands made 
the ultimate sacrifice.
  The Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act directs 
the Department of Justice to prepare a comprehensive report detailing 
the unjust policies against Italian Americans during this period of 
American history. It is vital to the foundations of our democratic 
governance that the people be fully informed of these devastating 
actions. This legislation recognizes the thousands of innocent victims, 
and honors those who suffered. In a country that so cherishes its 
equality, we must recognize and atone for the mistakes of our past.
  Mrs. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono) that the House suspend the 
rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill, H.R. 2442.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate amendments were 
concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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