III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 70 

Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and expressing 

the sense of the Senate that policies that discriminate against any individual based on the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, 

or religion of that individual would be a repetition of the mistakes 

of Executive Order 9066 and contrary to the values of the United 

States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2017 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. 

BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BROWN, Mr. CARPER, 

Mr. COONS, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, 

Mr. KAINE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. REED, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. FRANKEN) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 

and expressing the sense of the Senate that policies 

that discriminate against any individual based on the 

actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or 

religion of that individual would be a repetition of the 

mistakes of Executive Order 9066 and contrary to the 

values of the United States. 


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•SRES 70 IS 

Whereas, on December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy 

launched a surprise attack against the United States 

naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which led to— 

(1) increased prejudice and suspicion toward Japanese Americans; and 

(2) calls from civilians and public officials to remove 

Japanese Americans from the west coast of the United 

States; 

Whereas, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano 

Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 (7 Fed. Reg. 

1407; relating to authorizing the Secretary of War to 

prescribe military areas) (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘Executive Order 9066’’), which led to— 

(1) the exclusion of all individuals of Japanese ancestry in the United States; and 

(2) the incarceration of 120,313 United States citizens and lawful permanent residents of Japanese ancestry in incarceration camps during World War II; 

Whereas President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive 

Order 9066 in Presidential Proclamation 4417, dated 

February 19, 1976 (41 Fed. Reg. 7741) (referred to in 

this preamble as ‘‘Presidential Proclamation 4417’’); 

Whereas Presidential Proclamation 4417— 

(1) states that Japanese Americans were and are 

loyal people of the United States who have contributed to 

the well-being and security of the United States; 

(2) states that the issuance of Executive Order 9066 

was a grave mistake in United States history; and 

(3) resolves that actions such as the actions authorized by Executive Order 9066 shall never happen again; 

Whereas, in 1980, Congress established the Commission on 

Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to invesVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:16 Feb 27, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR70.IS SR70

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•SRES 70 IS 

tigate the circumstances surrounding the issuance of Executive Order 9066; 

Whereas, in 1983, the Commission on Wartime Relocation 

and Internment of Civilians issued a report entitled ‘‘Personal Justice Denied’’ in which the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians concluded 

that— 

(1) the promulgation of Executive Order 9066 was 

not justified by military necessity; and 

(2) the decision to issue Executive Order 9066 was 

shaped by ‘‘race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of 

political leadership’’; 

Whereas, on August 10, 1988, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 

(Public Law 100–383; 102 Stat. 903) was enacted— 

(1) to acknowledge the grave injustice done to citizens and permanent residents of the United States of 

Japanese ancestry by requiring the evacuation, relocation, and internment of those individuals during World 

War II; 

(2) to apologize for ‘‘fundamental violations of the 

basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry’’ and provide monetary reparations to Japanese Americans who had been incarcerated by the Federal Government; and 

(3) to establish the Civil Liberties Public Education 

Fund to ensure that ‘‘the events surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and incarceration of civilians and 

permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry will be 

remembered, and so that the causes and circumstances of 

this and similar events may be illuminated and understood’’; 


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•SRES 70 IS 

Whereas the terrorist attacks carried out in the United 

States on September 11, 2001, have led to heightened 

levels of suspicion and hate crimes, xenophobia, and bigotry directed toward the Arab, Middle Eastern, South 

Asian, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu American communities, 

including— 

(1) on August 5, 2012, an attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, which led to 

several injuries and the death of 6 Sikh Americans; and 

(2) on February 10, 2015, the execution-style shooting of 3 Muslim American students in Chapel Hill, North 

Carolina; 

Whereas the terrorist attacks carried out in Paris, France, on 

November 5, 2015, have led to renewed calls from public 

officials and figures to register Muslim Americans and 

bar millions of individuals from entering the United 

States based solely on the religion of those individuals, 

repeating the mistakes of 1942; 

Whereas Executive Order 13769 (82 Fed. Reg. 8977; relating to protecting the Nation from foreign terrorist entry 

into the United States) (in this preamble referred to as 

‘‘Executive Order 13769’’), issued on January 27, 2017, 

embodies an unconstitutional, disruptive step backwards 

that has promoted discrimination against individuals 

based on national origin and religion, which is contrary 

to the values of the United States; and 

Whereas, on February 9, 2017, the United States Court of 

Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously upheld the decision of a Federal district court judge to temporarily 

block the implementation of Executive Order 13769: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 70 IS 

1 (1) recognizes the historical significance of Feb2 ruary 19, 1942, as the date on which President 

3 Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 

4 9066 (7 Fed. Reg. 1407; relating to authorizing the 

5 Secretary of War to prescribe military areas) (re6 ferred to in this resolving clause as ‘‘Executive 

7 Order 9066’’), which restricted the freedom of Japa8 nese Americans; 

9 (2) recognizes the historical significance of Feb10 ruary 19, 1976, as the date on which President Ger11 ald Ford issued Presidential Proclamation 4417 (41 

12 Fed. Reg. 7741), which formally terminated Execu13 tive Order 9066; 

14 (3) supports the goals of the Japanese Amer15 ican community in recognizing a National Day of 

16 Remembrance to increase public awareness about 

17 the unjust measures taken to restrict the freedom of 

18 Japanese Americans during World War II; 

19 (4) expresses the sense that the National Day 

20 of Remembrance described in paragraph (3) is an 

21 opportunity— 

22 (A) to reflect on the importance of uphold23 ing justice and civil liberties for all people of 

24 the United States; and 


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•SRES 70 IS 

1 (B) to oppose hate, xenophobia, and big2 otry; 

3 (5) recognizes the positive contributions that 

4 people of the United States of every race, ethnicity, 

5 religion, and national origin have made to the 

6 United States; 

7 (6) steadfastly confirms the dedication of the 

8 Senate to the rights and dignity of all people of the 

9 United States; and 

10 (7) expresses the sense that policies that dis11 criminate against any individual based on the actual 

12 or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or reli13 gion of that individual would be— 

14 (A) a repetition of the mistakes of Execu15 tive Order 9066; and 

16 (B) contrary to the values of the United 

17 States. 

Æ 


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