Bill would accelerate citizenship for children of Filipino WWII vets

A pair of Senate Democrats on Friday introduced a bill that would speed up the visa process for the children of Filipino veterans who fought alongside the U.S. military in World War II.

Over 260,000 Filipino soldiers fought on America’s behalf during the war and were awarded U.S. citizenship in recognition of their service.

But that benefit did not extend to their children.

{mosads}The legislation, titled the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) seeks to correct that by exempting the veterans’ children, roughly 20,000 people, from the numerical limitation on immigrant visas.

“Time is running out for the diminishing number of Filipino World War II veterans who fought and sacrificed alongside American servicemen. We as a nation made a promise to these veterans that must be kept,” Hirono said in a statement.

“These brave soldiers didn’t flinch when the United States called them to battle in the Pacific Theater. The few surviving veterans are in their 80s and 90s and have been waiting for more than a half century to be reunited with loved ones and we owe them this benefit to them,” she added.

Hirono also chided the existing U.S. immigration system, urging lawmakers to “come together to pass permanent comprehensive immigration reform.” 

Today, Filipino veterans have to file for a family visa so that their children can come to the U.S., but it can take years, even decades, before such application are reviewed.

“No service member should be prevented from reuniting with their families because of our antiquated immigration system,” according to Reid, who represents over 100,000 Filipino-Americans in Nevada.

“This legislation will right that wrong and provide for the reunification of aging Filipino WWII veterans and their families,” he said.

Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) signed on to co-sponsor the measure.