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[106th Congress Public Law 451]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]

<DOC>
[DOCID: f:publ451.106]

[[Page 114 STAT. 1]]

Public Law 106-451
106th Congress

                                 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. <<NOTE: Nov. 
                        7, 2000 -  [H.R. 2442]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Wartime 
Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act.>> 

SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 50 USC app. 1981 note.>> 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. <<NOTE: Deadline. 50 USC app. 1981 note.>> REPORT.

    The Attorney General shall conduct a comprehensive review of the 
treatment by the United States Government of Italian Americans during 
World War II, and not later than 1 year after the

[[Page 114 STAT. 2]]

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 <<NOTE: Records.>> 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 whether Italian Americans were 
        subjected to civil liberties infringements, as a result of 
        Executive Order No. 9066, 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--

[[Page 114 STAT. 3]]

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

    Approved November 7, 2000.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 2442:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 145 (1999):
                                    Nov. 10, considered and passed 
                                        House.
                                                        Vol. 146 (2000):
                                    Oct. 19, considered and passed 
                                        Senate, amended.
                                    Oct. 24, House concurred in Senate 
                                        amendments.

                                  <all>
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