Hirono Reintroduces “Neighbors Not Enemies” Act to Repeal 18th Century Xenophobic Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, which would repeal the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798—a xenophobic anti-immigrant law that has been used to justify the incarceration of Japanese, German, and Italian Americans during World War II, as well as the Muslim Ban by President Trump in 2017. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

“The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is a xenophobic law that has been used to unjustly target immigrants in the U.S. and should have been repealed long ago,” said Senator Hirono. “Immigrants who come to our country in search of a new life should have the same civil liberties protections as anyone else. As the only immigrant in the U.S. Senate, I’m proud to join Representative Omar in reintroducing the Neighbors Not Enemies Act to help ensure all immigrants are treated fairly and with due process.”

In 1798, President John Adams signed the “Alien and Sedition Acts” which was comprised of four bills targeting immigrants under the guise of war. The original four bills included: The Naturalization Act; the Alien Friends Act; the Sedition Act; and the Alien Enemies Act. Today, the Aliens Enemies Act is the only one that remains in effect. The AEA allows the president to target foreign nationals, international students, and legal U.S. residents of a specific country to be “apprehended, restrained, secured and removed” without due process during wartime.

The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

The full text of the bill is available here.

Senator Hirono is a strong advocate on behalf of immigrant communities in Hawaii and across the country. In March 2023, Senator Hirono reintroduced the bipartisan Compact Impact Fairness Act, which would restore access to a range of federal benefits for citizens of the Freely Associated States of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau, who reside in the United States. The Compact Impact Fairness Act also builds upon Senator Hirono’s legislation to restore Medicaid eligibility for COFA citizens, which was signed into law in 2020. In May 2022, Senator Hirono first introduced the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act to remove a five-year waiting period that prevents immigrants from accessing crucial benefits and services. In April 2022, Senator Hirono led her colleagues in submitting comments in support of the Biden Administration’s proposal to better support immigrants by updating the “public charge.” This proposal would replace the rule enacted the Trump Administration in 2019, which made it significantly more difficult for many immigrants to become lawful permanent residents by lowering the threshold for a person becoming a “public charge.”

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