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.

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