US solons submit bill for quicker visa for children of WWII Filvets

Sen. Mazie Hirono

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

WASHINGTON, DC – Two US lawmakers moved to turn into law a quicker visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans.

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representative Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) introduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, a bicameral bill that would expedite the reunification of Filipino World War II veterans and their family members in the United States.

“When called to serve, Filipino World War II veterans fought and sacrificed alongside American servicemen,” said Senator Hirono. “However, as a result of our country’s antiquated immigration system, these brave soldiers have been waiting more than a half century to be reunited with their loved ones.”

Hirono explained, “While the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program provides temporarily relief for Filipino World War II veterans and their children, this bill codifies our nation’s promise to reunite these families.”

“Filipino World War II veterans deserve to be reunited with their families in the country they served,” said Rep. Hanabusa. “It’s time for Congress to put families before bureaucracy.  Congress must remove the artificial barriers to immigrant visas contained in the current law and bring the families of our veterans together now.”

The cosponsors of the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act are: Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Representatives Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Al Green (D-Texas), Gene Green (D-Texas), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.).

In 2016, after years of advocacy by Senator Hirono, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began implementation of the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole (FWVP) program to reunite veterans and their surviving spouses with adult children and certain other relatives.

However, the program is limited and provides no guarantee that these veterans will be reunited with their loved ones. The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act provides a permanent solution, amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from global limits the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the 1990 law or other specified laws.

Hirono has made fighting for Filipino veterans a top priority during her time in Congress, as the need to reunite these aging veterans with their loved ones grows more urgent every year.

Currently, there are fewer than 6,000 Filipino World War II veterans residing in the United States who would be able to take advantage of the benefits bestowed by the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act to be reunited with their loved ones.

In 2013, and Hanabusa reintroduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, which was later included as an amendment in the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate (S. 744).

However, the House failed to consider the bill. In 2016, Hirono led the successful effort to enact the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, which awards Filipino World War II veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their dedicated service to the United States.