III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 373 

Recognizing the historical significance 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 24, 2016 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. REID, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. LEAHY, Ms. BALDWIN, 

Mr. BROWN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. 

FRANKEN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. 

PETERS, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MARKEY, and 

Mr. WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the historical significance 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. 

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— 


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•SRES 373 IS 

(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 120,000 Japanese Americans 

and legal resident aliens from the west coast of the 

United States; and 

(2) the incarceration of 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Whereas President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive 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 investigate the circumstances surrounding the issuance of Executive Order 9066; 


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•SRES 373 IS 

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 apologize for ‘‘fundamental violations of the 

basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these individuals of Japanese ancestry’’; and 

(2) 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’’; 

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 


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•SRES 373 IS 

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

Carolina; and 

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 from entering the United States based solely 

on the religion of those individuals, repeating the mistakes of 1942: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the historical significance of Feb3 ruary 19, 1942, as the date on which President 

4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 

5 9066 (7 Fed. Reg. 1407; relating to authorizing the 

6 Secretary of War to prescribe military areas) (re7 ferred to in this resolving clause as ‘‘Executive 

8 Order 9066’’), which restricted the freedom of Japa9 nese Americans; 

10 (2) recognizes the historical significance of Feb11 ruary 19, 1976, as the date on which President Ger12 ald Ford issued Presidential Proclamation 4417 (41 

13 Fed. Reg. 7741), which formally terminated Execu14 tive Order 9066; 

15 (3) supports the goals of the Japanese Amer16 ican community in recognizing a National Day of 

17 Remembrance to increase public awareness about 


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•SRES 373 IS 

1 the unjust measures taken to restrict the freedom of 

2 Japanese Americans during World War II; 

3 (4) expresses the sense that the National Day 

4 of Remembrance is an opportunity— 

5 (A) to reflect on the importance of uphold6 ing justice and civil liberties for all people of 

7 the United States; and 

8 (B) to oppose hate, xenophobia, and big9 otry; 

10 (5) recognizes the positive contributions that 

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

12 religion, and national origin have made to the 

13 United States; 

14 (6) steadfastly confirms the dedication of the 

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

16 United States; and 

17 (7) expresses the sense that policies that dis18 criminate against any individual based on the actual 

19 or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or reli20 gion of that individual would be— 

21 (A) a repetition of the mistakes of Execu22 tive Order 9066; and 

23 (B) contrary to the values of the United 

24 States. 

Æ 


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