"In sum, 1946 brought access to naturalization for the Filipina/o American community and ended Filipino exclusion, independence for the Philippines, and union recognition for Filipina/o sugar workers who had created immense wealth, three long-awaited victories for the community. For Filipina/o Americans, the ability to naturalize enabled them to buy land, vote, and petition for their parents, spouses and children to join them under family reunification provisions under U.S. immigration law. This ability to reunite their families and for the emigration of college-educated professionals would expand exponentially with the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act. In ensuing years, the United States would maintain some of the largest military bases in the world in the Philippines under the 1948 Military Bases Agreement and recruit thousands of Filipinos into the U.S. Navy. The Filipina/o American community we know today was spurred into being by the events and laws of 1946."
- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 1946 FOR FILIPINA/O AMERICANS
"After the United States entered World War II Congress acted to provide for the expedited naturalization of non-citizens serving honorably in the U.S.
Non-citizen service members who wished to naturalize still needed to show that they had served honorably, had good moral character, were attached to the principals of the Constitution and had a favorable disposition toward the good order and happiness of the United States. This made him responsible for the vast majority of INS’s overseas naturalization (INS agency officials performed a total of 7,178 overseas naturalization) and nearly half of all overseas naturalization during WWII (all designated government officials performed total of 13,587 overseas naturalization)."
-Military Naturalization During WWII
"Filipino World War II Veterans In 1941, more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers responded to President Roosevelt’s call-to-arms and later fought under the American flag during World War II.
Interagency Working Group To address their concerns, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget, has launched an Interagency Working Group comprised of officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA).
Through the work of the Interagency Working group, the National Archives and Record Administration recently released a document that details the creation of the official Department of the Army Filipino Guerrilla list. It was declassified in 1988 and is entitled, “U.S. Army Recognition Program of Philippine Guerrillas”."
- Filipino World War II Veterans