Hawaii
As crackdown begins in Hawaii, advocates urge immigrants to remain calm
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown seems to be happening so quickly, legislators and immigrant advocates are scrambling to blunt its impact here in Hawaii.
The local office of Homeland Security Investigations posted photos on social media of officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Drug Enforcement Administration arresting immigrants.
The arrestees were not identified by name and the office did not say how many were arrested, but Gary Singh, an attorney for a few of them, said they had prior removal orders and had been in hiding.
“Their top priorities right now is individuals with final removal order or they have criminal convictions,” Singh said. “Once they wrap that up, there will be many different stages of different categories, I believe.”
Liza Gill, president of the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrants Rights, said the photos and the high-profile military transport deportations are an effort to intimidate immigrants and appeal to Trump’s anti-immigration base.
“The whole purpose is to create fear, is to make people feel very afraid to come out of their homes, to go to school, to go to a doctor’s office,” she said, “and I think that this new federal administration wants to showcase them looking tough, and it looks tough.”
Sandy Ma, an attorney with nonprofit The Legal Clinic, urges concerned immigrants to call the coalition or her office at (808) 777-7071 for answers about their options and rights.
“This federal administration is to drum up fear and we want to allay that concern,” she said.
Ma’s organization is offering written guidance, including small red cards to help immigrants stand up for their rights if approached by law enforcement.
“So, first of all, if ICE comes knocking on their door, they do not have to let them in their door,” Ma said. “Everyone in this country whether they are in this country with documents or without documents have constitutional rights.”
“Always stay calm. Do not run,” Ma said. “Provide them with the red card. You can contact our office for red cards.”
Although the nationwide raids are frightening, advocates are urging immigrants without authorization and their families to go about their daily lives while lawmakers are drafting laws to prevent local law enforcement collaboration with immigration, and to block raids at schools, churches or hospitals.
Hawaii Sen. Karl Rhoads, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, points out that by enforcing local laws, Hawaii law enforcement is already helping find and lead to deportation of criminals.
He also doesn’t think that the Hawaii public is as supportive of mass deportation as other states.
“It’s better that people enter the country legally, but does it really make any sense to spend all this time and energy resources money on often breaking up families and sending back people who are otherwise just doing all the jobs the rest of us don’t want to do?” he said.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Gov. Josh Green today issued a statement regarding a federal lawsuit challenging the eligibility requirements within the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.
“The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was established to address the historic dispossession of Native Hawaiians and reflects a longstanding commitment to them by both the federal government and the state of Hawaiʻi,” said Green.
“This lawsuit threatens that commitment. I have directed the Department of the Attorney General to vigorously defend the Hawaiian Homes program. We will fight this lawsuit with everything we have,” he said.
The lawsuit was filed by Eric Ryan, an Oʻahu resident who is not Native Hawaiian and tried to apply for a lease, but was denied due to the 50% Native Hawaiian blood quantum requirement, according to Hawaiʻi News Now and court documents published at Courthouse News Service.
The Class Action Complaint argues that the “explicitly ancestry-based requirement” establishes a “permanent government mandate for state officials to engage in outright racial discrimination, perpetuates stereotypes, and limits housing opportunities for most Hawai‘i residents. The blood-quantum requirement thus violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the complaint alleges.
Green said the administration “stands firmly with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the thousands of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries who rely on this program and its promise for future generations.”
Attorney General Anne Lopez also issued a statement saying the state of Hawaiʻi has both a legal and moral obligation to uphold the commitments embodied in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.
“This lawsuit seeks to dismantle a program that has provided opportunities, stability and hope to generations of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries,” said Lopez.
Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes, who has extensive experience handling complex constitutional litigation on behalf of the state, will lead the legal team in defending the state against the challenge.
“We are prepared to vigorously defend the Hawaiian Homes program and the promises it represents,” said Lopez.
Under the Green administration, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has accelerated the delivery of homestead opportunities and expanded pathways to homeownership for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.
In 2025 alone, DHHL offered more than 2,500 lease awards and continues to advance major housing projects, including Hale Mōʻiliʻili on Oʻahu, which will provide 278 affordable rental units for beneficiaries.
“These efforts reflect the administration’s commitment to reducing wait times, strengthening Native Hawaiian communities and fulfilling the promise of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act,” according to the governor’s announcement.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Concrete fell from the exterior of an Ala Moana Center parking structure Monday afternoon near the Kapiolani Boulevard exit, damaging a vehicle.
No injuries were reported.
Security blocked an exit lane as debris scattered across the roadway. Ala Moana Center said they are grateful no one was hurt, and the lane will remain closed while structural engineers and construction professionals assess the damage and make repairs.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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