Hawaiʻi lawmakers, community advocates and others gathered July 28 at the state Capitol in Honolulu to celebrate the signing of several landmark immigrant justice laws while honoring the lives of 64 people who lost their lives in immigration detention and enforcement actions since the beginning of the President Donald Trump’s second administration.
The gathering — organized by Campaign for Immigrant Justice, led by American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights and The Legal Clinic — centered on celebration, remembrance and a renewed commitment to protecting Hawaiʻi’s immigrant communities.
Together, the new laws advance protections related to immigration enforcement cooperation, access to legal protections and services, sentencing fairness, sensitive locations and language access. They represent years of organizing, advocacy and legislative work by immigrant communities and their allies.
Act 161, introduced in the Filipino Caucus Package chaired by Big Island state Rep. Gregor Ilagan, protects people in the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
It requires local and state agents to notify immigrants of their rights in a language they can understand, including the right to decline an interview, before any U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interview can take place.
Act 143, introduced by Big Island state Rep. David Tarnas, closes a cruel trap in federal law saying a single day can determine whether someone stays or is forced to leave their home forever. Even low-level offenses can trigger deportation if they carry a potential 1-year sentence.
The Hawaiʻi law reduces that sentence by a single day — to 364 days — to avoid imposing an outsized punishment simply because of where someone was born.
Four other laws celebrated during the gathering included:
- Act 141: Strengthens protections related to state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
- Act 142: Strengthens protections related to U and T visas for survivors and victims who might assist law enforcement.
- Act 162: Establishes protections concerning immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations.
- Act 179: Advances language access for Hawaiʻi’ communities.
“I introduced all those bills because over the summer I heard a story of an [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raid that took place in a neighborhood on Maui,” said Oʻahu state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole in a release. “Federal employees kicked the door down of the home. They proceeded to pull out the occupants early in the morning, some of them still in pajamas. Thirteen women, all together.”
Keohokalole said it was deeply upsetting, so he decided to introduce bills because he’s a senator and “that’s what you do with this power.”
“It’s bills that you folks wrote, you folks championed, and it’s because of you that it became law,” Keohokalole said. “It’s also because it’s the right thing to do. It’s because this country was founded on principles, equal rights, the honoring of civil rights and due process of all people …”
Communities throughout the nation continue to experience devastating impacts of immigration detention and enforcement.
The names of those who died during immigration detention and enforcement actions were read following a moment of silence Tuesday. Attendees responded “¡Presente!” — a traditional expression of remembrance for many Spanish-speaking countries meaning those honored are still present in the community’s memory and collective commitment — after each name was called out.
A lei and flowers also were placed in their remembrance.
Representatives of the Campaign for Immigrant Justice during Tuesday’s gathering highlighted the significance of the new laws and work that remains to ensure they are meaningfully implemented and accessible to immigrant communities throughout Hawaiʻi.
Advocates said the new laws represent a significant step toward ensuring immigrant families can experience justice, dignity and equal protection under the law at a time when immigration enforcement continues to create fear and uncertainty for immigrant communities throughout the United States.
Courtesy Photo: American Civil Liberties Union Hawaiʻi- Courtesy Photo: American Civil Liberties Union Hawaiʻi
