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OSIA
Supports H.R. 2442
Wartime Violations of Italian American Civil Liberties
Act
Info
Sheet
| Summary | Bill
Text
| Press Release
106th
CONGRESS
1st Session
H.
R. 2442
AN ACT
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.
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
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.
(12)
An explanation of why some Italian Americans were
subjected to civil liberties infringements, as a
result of Executive Order No. 9066, while 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.
The President
shall, on behalf of the United States Government,
formally acknowledge that these events during World
War II represented a fundamental injustice against
Italian Americans.
Passed
the House of Representatives November 10, 1999.
Attest:
Clerk.
Text
for HR 2442 Bill, taken directly from http://thomas.loc.gov
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