By Star Advertiser Staff
Published on: May 6, 2026
At year’s start, overreach by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) armed agents across the country spurred Hawaii, and many other states, to introduce legislation to try to curb federal excesses. Today, the visible outrage that erupted after Americans Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed in Minnesota has subsided some, but the need remains for sturdy rule-of-law safeguards.
To that end, results are mixed as the 2026 Hawaii Legislature takes final votes this week: immigration-related bills to ban masked law enforcers in carrying out operations have failed, unfortunately. But a few bills that protect civil liberties seem headed for passage — particu- larly affirming and timely as Hawaii observes Law Week around the theme, “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” The bills up for approval include:
House 1839: Requiring local law enforcement to notify an individual in custody of their rights before any interview with federal immigration agents regarding civil immigration violations can begin. The bill calls for written consent and multilingual access, to ensure transparency and due process
Yes.
HB 1870: By January, adopting and posting policies that reaffirm community spaces — schools, healthcare settings, libraries, shelters, places of worship — as remaining safe and accessible to all residents. In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rescinded long-held guidance protecting such “sensitive” areas, essentially authorizing unrestricted immigration enforcement at these sites. Hawaii’s legislators say the changes have chilled access to critical services, and finds, rightly, that these community locations must continue to function “as trusted, safe spaces where people can go without fear.” Yes, again.
Senate Bill 2057: Prohibiting local law enforcement from entering into agreement with federal agencies for immigration enforcement, except under limited circumstances. This bill clearly delineates the role and resources of local law enforcement as separate from federal immigration actions. And yes, again.
“I think Hawaii’s Legislature clearly said that Hawaii cares about its communities,” ACLU Hawaii Policy Director Mandy Fernandes commented to Hawaii Public Radio. “We care about our civil rights. We care about our constitutional rights.”
Hawaii is home to about 258,800 immigrants, including 29,900 immigrants without legal status. In this state that was built on immigrant and plantation labor, and remains proud of its rich ethnic diversity, civil rights for all must be vigorously protected.
That was, in fact, what both Good and Pretti were doing in separate protests in January — exercising their right to free speech against ICE’s aggressive tactics — when they were fatally shot.
No longer just targeting “the worst of the worst” criminals, federal quotas and unprecedented interpretations of legal authority have enabled over-aggressive operations, with armed officers entering homes and making arrests without judicial warrants, notes the American Immigration Council. In some cases, federal actions and lack of accountability have combined to undermine the force of law.
As for economic impact from the ICE surges: Even there, a new study finds, intimidating raids and questionable arrests are not helping the U.S. economy.
“We show that heightened ICE activity is harming the labor market overall, and we find no evidence that it is benefiting U.S.-born workers,” said Chloe East, associate professor of economics at the University of Colorado at Boulder who co-authored “Labor Market Impacts of ICE Activity in Trump 2.0.” “If anything, job opportunities for U.S.-born workers are going down as a result.”
The study also found that after an ICE surge, employment among remaining immigrants declines 4% on average, likely due to a “chilling effect” where members of that community stop going to work out of fear. That’s likely due to tactics in which agents are arresting more people in public spaces — schools, streets and churches — and more people without any criminal record are being detained, the researchers say.
“The rule of law demands that all people, regardless of their background or status, be treated equally under the law,” Sabrina McKenna, acting chief justice of Hawaii’s Supreme Court wrote in an April 30 commentary.
That’s a foundational promise that’s made, and must be kept, to all who are here and subject to the U.S. justice system. Hawaii legislators can do their part by passing important legislation that help uphold those rights for all, against overzealous enforcement.