The Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935 established a repatriation program for Filipinos living in the United States, by which they were provided free passage back to the Philippines. If they wished to return to the US, the Filipinos were restricted under the quota system established by the Tydings–McDuffie Act of 1934. Family reunification was halted, keeping many Filipinos waiting for years to see family members.[citation needed] In 1943, the US Congress passed a law allowing Filipinos in the United States to lease land, which they had previously been prevented from doing.