I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2090
Ordering 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.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 26, 1997
Mr. LAZIO of New York (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr.
PASCRELL, Mr. KING, Mr. MILLER of California, Ms. DELAURO, Mr.
PALLONE, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. MASCARA, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. ACKERMAN,
Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. MANTON, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New
York, and Mr. MCGOVERN) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
Ordering 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 Representa-
tives 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 fam-
ilies was restricted during World War II by Govern-
ment measures that branded them ‘‘enemy aliens’’
and included carrying identification cards, travel re-
strictions, 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 en-
tering coastal zones. More than 50,000 were sub-
jected 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 Ameri-
cans performed exemplary service and thousands
sacrificed their lives in defense of the United States.
(5) At the time, Italians were the largest for-
eign-born group in the United States, and today are
the fifth largest immigrant group in the United
States, numbering approximately 23,000,000.
(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 re-
mains unknown to the public, and it has never been
acknowledged in any official capacity by the United
States Government.
(8) This story needs to be told in order to ac-
knowledge 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.
(9) 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 ex-
hibit ‘‘Una Storia Segreta’’, to be exhibited at
major cultural and educational institutions
throughout the United States; and
(11) A list of all civil liberties infringements
suffered by Italian Americans during World War II,
including internment, hearings without benefit of
counsel, illegal searches and seizures, travel restric-
tions, enemy alien registration requirements, employ-
ment restrictions, confiscation of property, and
forced evacuation from homes.
(12) An explanation of why the civil liberties in-
fringements occurred.
(13) An explanation of why some Italian Ameri-
cans were subjected to civil liberties infringements
while others were not.
(14) A review of the wartime restrictions on
Italian Americans to determine how civil liberties
can be better protected during national emergencies.
SEC. 4. FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
The President shall, on behalf of the United States
Government, formally acknowledge that these events dur-
ing World War II represented a fundamental injustice
against Italian Americans.
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