[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 79 (Friday, June 3, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ON THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE FILIPINO VETERANS FAMILY REUNIFICATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 3, 2011

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce two versions of 
the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, both of which will 
provide for the expedited reunification of the families of our Filipino 
World War II veterans.
  The first version I am introducing is a companion to S. 1141, a bill 
recently introduced by Senator Daniel K. Akaka. I am introducing this 
bill in acknowledgement of his leadership on this issue.
  The second version I am introducing is identical to earlier versions 
of the bill that I have introduced in the 110th and 111th Congresses. 
S. 1141 differs from these earlier versions of the bill in that it 
provides that the petitions filed by the sponsoring Filipino veteran 
shall remain valid regardless of whether the petitioning parent is 
living or dead.
  As you know, Filipino veterans are those that honorably answered the 
call of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served alongside our armed 
forces during World War II. They fought shoulder to shoulder with 
American servicemen; they sacrificed for the same just cause. We made a 
promise to provide full veterans' benefits to those who served with our 
troops. And while we have recently made appreciable progress toward 
fulfilling that long-ignored promise, we have not yet achieved the full 
equity that the Filipino veterans deserve.
  In 1990, the Congress recognized the courage and commitment of the 
Filipino World War II veterans by providing them with a waiver from 
certain naturalization requirements. Many veterans thereafter became 
proud United States citizens and residents of our country. However, 
allowances were not made for their children and many have been waiting 
decades for petition approval.
  The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act would allow for the 
further recognition of the service of the veterans by granting their 
children a special immigration status that would allow them to 
immigrate to the United States and be reunified with their aging 
parents. It is important to note that the Filipino soldiers who fought 
under the command of General Douglas McArthur at this critical time in 
our nation's history represent a unique category. These soldiers were 
members of the United States Armed Forces of the Far East. They were 
led to believe that at the end of the conflict they would be treated 
the same as American soldiers. It took more than sixty years to begin 
to make good on our commitment. The Filipino Veterans Family 
Reunification Act recognizes the special circumstances of this group of 
soldiers.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues by providing for the 
reunification of our Filipino World War II veterans with their 
families.

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