Mr. President. many immigrants who came to work in the United States. a country built upon the contributions of generations of immigrants. are now elderly. impoverished. and alone. Many of these immigrants would like to return to their countries of origin to be reunited with their families and culture but are unable to pay the transportation costs to do so. Mr. President. today I am introducing legislation which would direct the Attorney General to study the problems of these indigent. elderly immigrants who wish to return to their home countries. In my State of Hawaii more than 126.000 laborers migrated from the Philippines to Hawaii between 1907 and 1946. Many have already returned to their homeland. Many have died. nearly all of the survivors are now retired. The youngest of them have reached 55 years of age. Most of these immigrants have spent their working years in Hawaii without the support of family ties. Many of these lonely. aging Filipinos look forward to returning to their homeland. Their extended families in the Philippines welcome back their aged members and provide them with love and care that are so essential to their mental. physical. and emotional wellbeing in their later years. The retiree is able to be reunited with not only his extended family. but his church and associations in the Philippines. where there is not the language and cultural barriers that exist for immigrant Filipinos in Hawaii. In 1975. Father Jaime S.
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