Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in reintroducing the bipartisan Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, a bill that would speed up the visa process for the children of Filipino veterans who served in the United States military during World War II.
“The Filipino veterans who fought for our country in World War II deserve our gratitude and respect, and that should extend to their families as well,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Our bipartisan legislation would provide certainty to the hundreds of Filipino veterans whose children have been caught up in the complicated, drawn-out process of receiving their green cards.”
During World War II, more than 260,000 Filipinos served in the United States Armed Forces. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush granted U.S. citizenship to 26,000 of those Filipino veterans, but not their children. As a result, those children have had to apply for green cards in a lengthy, delayed process that has left them in limbo for years. The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt the sons and daughters of those Filipino veterans and allow them to receive their green cards on an expedited timeline.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a consistent advocate for the Filipino veteran community. Last year, she successfully included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act ensuring Filipino veterans who fought alongside U.S. troops in World War II and the Vietnam War can be buried in state veterans’ cemeteries. Through her Brian Neuman Act, Senator Cortez Masto was able to remove roadblocks for disabled veterans accessing their benefits. She also helped pass the PACTAct to ensure veterans suffering from toxic exposure in the line of duty get the medical care they need and worked across the aisle to get legislation helping veterans exposed to Agent Orange and expanding benefits for women veterans signed into law.
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