The 'Filipino Repatriation Act of
1935' called for the
United States government to pressure
Filipinos to return to the
Philippines by offering them free passage back to their native country.
Under the Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935, Filipinos could leave the United States with free transportation and were subject to the quota system established by the
Tydings-McDuffie Act of
1934 if they intended to re-enter. The U.S.
Family reunification was halted, keeping many Filipinos waiting for years to see family members. A legal change occurred in
1943 allowing Filipinos in the U.S. to lease land, most of which had been owned by
Japanese Americans who were in
internment camps.
In the
3 October 1938 issue of
TIME Magazine, an article entitled "
Philippine Flop" reported that 1,900 Filipinos had returned to the Philippines.
The repatriation program was declared unconstitutional in 1940, after some 2,190 Filipinos had returned to the Philippines.