On November 7, 2000, Congress passed Public
Law 106-451 (pdf
version), the Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil
Liberties Act, and articulated the sense of Congress that
... 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.
The Act directed the Attorney General to prepare a report detailing injustices
suffered by Italian Americans during World War II. The review, covering the
period September 1, 1939, to December 31, 1945, was due to Congress by November
7, 2001. Among its provisions, the Act required that the Attorney General
compile several "lists" of Italian Americans who suffered injustices,
such as:
- Italian Americans who were taken into custody during the initial roundup
following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and prior to the United States declaration
of war against Italy
- Italian Americans who were taken into custody at any time during World
War II
- Italian Americans who were interned and the location where they were interned
- Italian Americans who were ordered to move out of designated areas under
the United States Army's "Individual Exclusion Program"
- Italian Americans who were arrested for curfew, contraband, or other violations
under the authority of Executive Order 9066
- Italian American fishermen who were prevented from fishing in prohibited
zones and therefore undable to pursue their livelihoods
- Italian Americans whose boats were confiscated
- Italian American railroad workers who were prevented from working in
prohibited zones.
The Act also directed the Attorney General to document Federal Bureau of
Investigation raids on the homes of Italian Americans, to compile a list of
ports from which Italian American fishermen were restricted, and to prepare
a list of all civil liberties infringements suffered by Italian Americans
during World War II.
Moreover, the Act sought 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.
Finally, the Act directed the Attorney General to review wartime restrictions
on Italian Americans to determine how civil liberties can be better protected
during national emergencies.
At the direction of the Attorney General, the Civil Rights Division of the
U.S. Department of Justice assumed responsibility for meeting the provisions
of the Act and compiling the historical record.
On November 7, 2001, the Attorney General submitted the
report to Congress, detailing wartime restrictions on persons
of Italian ancestry, and on November 27, the House Judiciary
Committee released
that report.
