Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Advance Immigration-Related Bills as Debate Over Enforcement Escalates

Описание: Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Advance Immigration-Related Bills as Debate Over Enforcement Escalates

HONOLULU — As the 2026 state legislative session unfolds, Hawaiʻi lawmakers and Gov. Josh Green are turning attention to a suite of proposals related to immigration policy, with several measures aimed at limiting the reach of federal enforcement in the islands and expanding protections for residents affected by immigration actions.

At the center of this session is a package of bills and proposals intended to provide “guardrails” around immigration enforcement activity and strengthen state responses to federal immigration actions that critics say have eroded public trust. Gov. Green and legislative leaders have publicly pledged support for measures that would constrain the way federal agents operate within Hawaiʻi communities, a response to high-profile incidents nationally involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

One such bill — SB3265 — would require law enforcement officers acting under color of law to remain visibly identifiable, prohibit the use of facial coverings during their duties, and mandate clearer agency policies on civil immigration actions, among other transparency requirements.

Another proposal, SB2059, would prohibit state and county law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements to delegate immigration enforcement activities to federal authorities, essentially blocking local participation in civil immigration enforcement absent explicit direction from state law.

In the House, HB1870 would establish protections for “protected community locations” — including schools, health care facilities, public libraries and other state-funded service sites — by limiting state or county cooperation with immigration enforcement in those areas unless there is a judicial warrant based on probable cause.

Advocates such as the ACLU of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights have pushed for policies that would ensure language access, protect vulnerable detainees, and restrain law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, framing these efforts as necessary for community safety and civil rights.

Supporters argue these measures will help safeguard Hawaiʻi’s diverse population and maintain access to essential services without fear of civil immigration enforcement. Critics contend that state action on immigration risks overstepping federal jurisdiction and undermining cooperation with national law-enforcement priorities.

With the Legislature already considering these bills this session, Hawaiʻi may soon join a growing list of states taking local legislative action around immigration policy, even as federal immigration enforcement remains exclusively under national authority.