[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 88 (Friday, May 23, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E473-E474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE FILIPINO VETERANS FAMILY REUNIFICATION ACT OF 2025

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 23, 2025

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to today to ask for the House's support 
for the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, which I introduced 
with my colleague Congresswoman Jen Kiggans of Virginia. It is the 
companion version of the bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator 
Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, along with twelve other Senators.
  In 1941, more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers responded to President 
Roosevelt's call-to-arms in the Philippines and elsewhere and fought 
bravely for the U.S. and our allies during World War II. These soldiers 
were promised the opportunity to immigrate to the United States along 
with their families. However, after sacrificing for our country, many 
returned home from the War only to be denied the benefits promised for 
their service. Though many of these veterans became proud U.S. 
citizens, our immigrant visa backlog, exacerbated by caps on visas from 
the Philippines, have forced many of their family members to wait 
decades to come to the United States to join and care for them. This 
has effectively prevented these aging veterans from reuniting with 
their families.
  In October 2017, Congress finally awarded the Filipino veterans of 
World War II the Congressional Gold Medal to honor their service to our 
country, but we must do more as we promised. Additionally, in 2016, the 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services created the Filipino World 
War II Veterans Parole Program, a temporary administrative fix that 
allows these veterans to request parole for their children or siblings. 
Under this policy, they can live in the U.S. pending processing of 
their permanent resident applications, which may still take years if 
not decades. However, as these veterans near the end of their lives, 
they deserve the certainty of a non-revocable permanent solution.
  The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act would address this by 
exempting from existing visa caps the visa applications of the children 
of Filipino World War II veterans. This would allow them to gain green 
cards once their applications are processed and approved, including 
careful vetting in line with existing immigration standards. This will 
not only assist these veterans in their senior years but also provide a 
fitting recognition of their critical service in the War.

[[Page E474]]

  I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting these veterans and 
helping fulfill our promises to them and their families.

                          ____________________