WASHINGTON — Campaign for Justice: Redress Now for Japanese Latin Americans has announced that its commission bill has passed a Senate committee and will be taken up by a House subcommittee.

From December 1941 to February 1948, the U.S. government orchestrated and financed the mass abduction, forcible deportation and internment of 2,264 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry from 13 Latin American countries.

Stripped of their passports en route to the U.S. these Japanese Latin Americans (JLAs) were declared “illegal aliens.” The U.S. planned to use them as hostages in exchange for Americans held by Japan. Over 800 JLAs were included in two prisoner-of-war exchanges between the U.S. and Japan.

The remaining JLAs were imprisoned without due process in U.S. Department of Justice camps until after the end of the war. Most of them were forced to leave the U.S. after their release from camp. But since many were initially barred from returning to their home countries, more than 900 JLAs were deported to war-devastated Japan.

Over 350 JLAs remained in the U.S. and fought deportation in the courts. Eventually, about 100 were able to return to Latin America. It was not until 1952 that those who stayed were allowed to begin the process of becoming U.S. permanent residents. Many later became U.S. citizens.

The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided redress and an apology to Japanese American internees, excluded JLAs on the grounds that they were not U.S. citizens or permanent residents when they were interned.

Between 1996 and 1999, five lawsuits were filed on behalf of the former JLA internees. The Mochizuki, et al. v. USA case resulted in a settlement whereby the government agreed to issue individual apology letters and compensation of $5,000 per internee, compared to $20,000 for Japanese Americans.

While the settlement agreement terminated further litigation, there was a provision that provided for the pursuit of legislation for equitable relief in Congress. The other four lawsuits were dismissed.

In 2007, Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), along with Reps. Daniel Lungren (R-Gold River), and Mike Honda (D-Campbell) in the House, and Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) in the Senate, reintroduced the “Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act” (S. 381 and H.R. 662).

This bill will establish a federal commission to study the internment of JLAs and make recommendations for any appropriate remedies based on its findings. The commission would be composed of nine members: three each appointed by the president, speaker of the House of Representatives, and president pro tempore of the Senate.

First, the Senate version of the bill passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Feb. 11.

The House version of the bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on March 18 or 19, depending on the committee’s hearing schedule.

“Japanese Latin American internees will finally have a chance to testify in an official setting before it is too late,” said a Campaign for Justice spokesperson.

The campaign is seeking donations for educational materials for the hearing and transportation for those who cannot afford to attend the hearing. Checks can be sent to Campaign for Justice, P.O. Box 1384, El Cerrito, CA 94530 or donations can be made online at www.campaignforjusticejla.org/takeaction/donation.html.