PRESS RELEASE - Hawaiʻi Legislators and Community Advocates Celebrate Landmark Immigrant Justice Laws and Honor Lives Lost to Immigration Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2026

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Hawaiʻi Legislators and Community Advocates Celebrate Landmark Immigrant Justice Laws and Honor Lives Lost to Immigration Enforcement

HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi — Community advocates, immigrant rights leaders, lawmakers, faith leaders, and community members gathered today at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol to celebrate the signing of six landmark immigrant justice laws while honoring the lives of the 64 individuals who have lost their lives in immigration detention and enforcement actions since the beginning of the Trump Administration.

The gathering was organized by the Campaign for Immigrant Justice, led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi (“ACLU of Hawaiʻi”), Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights (“HCIR”), and The Legal Clinic. The event brought together community members and elected officials for a day centered on celebration, remembrance, and a renewed commitment to protecting Hawaii’s immigrant communities.

The six new laws represent years of organizing, advocacy, and legislative work by immigrant communities and their allies. Together, the legislation advances protections related to immigration enforcement cooperation, access to legal protections and services, sentencing fairness, sensitive locations, and language access.

Mandy Fernandes, Policy Director of the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, shared:

We thank our community members, coalition partners, and state legislators for their tireless efforts this session to pass a number of immigrant justice bills that serve as a model for other jurisdictions. Act 141, introduced by Senator Keohokalole and co-authored by Representative Jeanné Kapela, bans the type of cooperation, including but not limited to 287(g) agreements and data sharing, that has allowed federal immigration authorities across the continent to expand their jurisdiction and power, coopt local resources, and sow fear in communities. Local and state police are also banned from detaining our neighbors for immigration purposes, questioning people about their immigration status, or sharing non-public personal information about our community members. Our police answer to us, the communities they serve — not to ICE.

Act 161, Introduced in the Filipino Caucus Package chaired by Representative Gregor Ilagan protects people in the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Before any ICE interview can take place, this law requires that local and state agents notify them of their rights, including the right to decline an interview, in a language that they can understand. Much of the abuse we’ve seen elsewhere happens behind closed doors, to people who never knew that they could say no. This law promotes transparency and informed consent.

Act 143, Introduced by Representative David Tarnas closes a cruel trap in federal law, where a single day can determine whether you stay or are forced to leave your home forever. Even low-level offenses can trigger deportation if they carry a potential one-year sentence, so this Hawaiʻi law now reduces that sentence by a single day — to 364 days — to avoid imposing an outsized punishment simply because of where someone was born.

During the gathering, representatives of the Campaign for Immigrant Justice highlighted the significance of the new laws and the work that remains to ensure they are meaningfully implemented and accessible to immigrant communities across Hawaiʻi.

The six laws celebrated at the gathering include:

Act 141 — strengthens protections related to state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Act 143 — establishes protections and transparency requirements under the TRUTH Act.
Act 162 — advances fairer sentencing protections.
Act 142 — strengthens protections related to U and T visas for survivors and victims who may assist law enforcement.
Act 163 — establishes protections concerning immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations.
Act 179 — advances language access for Hawaii’s communities.

Jarrett Keohokalole, Hawaiʻi State Senator, added:

I introduced all those bills because over the summer I heard a story of an ICE raid that took place in a neighborhood on Maui . . . . 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.

Regardless of wither they had legal status or not to see that type of activity happening in our communities when there was absolutely no safety justification whatsoever for it was deeply upsetting. It pissed me off and so I decided to introduce bills, because I'm 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. 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 . . . . [.]

We had wars that were fought to determine what a person is and who gets endowed with those rights. Lives were lost to protect that freedom. It's part of the legacy to keep that going because what country are we if we do not afford equal rights to all of the people that reside here.

The gathering also served as a moment of remembrance.

As communities across the country continue to experience the devastating impacts of immigration detention and enforcement, organizers honored the nearly 60 people who have lost their lives in immigration-related detention and enforcement actions.

Following a moment of silence, community members read the names of those who had died. After each name, attendees responded, “¡Presente!”—a traditional expression of remembrance for many Spanish-speaking countries meaning that those being honored are still present in the community’s memory and collective commitment.

Community members then placed lei and flowers in remembrance of those who were lost.

The event included reflections from state legislators and community leaders, including representatives of the Campaign for Immigrant Justice and members of the Hawaiʻi Legislature who helped advance the legislation.

The Campaign for Immigrant Justice emphasized that the signing of the laws is not the end of the work. The coalition will continue focusing on implementation, community outreach, education, and ensuring that immigrant communities understand and can access the protections provided by the new laws.

The coalition also plans to continue its work through outreach efforts, including a due process roadshow and the Hawaiʻi Immigration and Inclusion Conference later in September.

At a time when immigration enforcement continues to create fear and uncertainty for immigrant communities across the country, Hawaii’s new laws represent a significant step toward ensuring that immigrant families can experience justice, dignity, and equal protection under the law.

Link for Pictures and Videos

7.28.26 A Historic Moment for Immigrants’ Rights Media Photos

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i strives to build an equitable society. Our mission is to protect and promote the civil liberties and fundamental rights enshrined in the United States and Hawai‘i constitutions through litigation, legislation, and public education. We serve – and center the voices of – our impacted and vulnerable communities, regardless of background, status, or circumstance. As a non-partisan non-profit organization, we provide our services at no cost to the public, and we never accept government funds.