HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A coalition of 22 states, including Hawaii, is challenging a federal demand for detailed information about SNAP recipients, arguing the Trump administration is overreaching by requesting sensitive personal data.

Federal agriculture officials say the information is needed to identify and prevent fraud in the nation’s largest food assistance program.

At a cabinet meeting Tuesday, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said action is imminent because those states have refused to provide the requested data, which includes names and immigration status of SNAP beneficiaries.

“So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and protect the American taxpayer,” Rollins said.

The states suing to block the requirement argue they already verify eligibility and have never shared that level of sensitive information with the federal government.

“We will always protect the SNAP recipient’s personal information,” said Joseph Campos, deputy director at Hawaii’s Department of Human Services. “There are strict guidelines and laws that dictate how, when and with whom we can share personal information. The 22 states and the District of Columbia feel this request is unlawful.”

Nationwide, about 42 million low-income Americans, roughly one in eight, rely on SNAP to buy groceries. The average benefit is roughly $190 per person per month, or just over six dollars a day. In Hawaii, about 89,000 households, an estimated 169,000 individuals, receive SNAP assistance.

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said the potential loss of federal funding could significantly impact Hawaii families.

“This should make everyone upset, no matter what side of the aisle they’re on,” Tokuda said. “They’re willing to literally starve keiki to kūpuna, hungry children, working families, senior citizens and veterans.”

Tokuda said the state could see tens of millions of dollars withheld.

“Just holding back administrative costs is tens of millions of dollars,” she said. “For Hawaii, we’re talking about $30 million, money that could help bring down the cost of living in our state.”

State officials say one piece of good news, at least for now, is that the administration is not threatening benefits already loaded onto SNAP cards, funds families rely on each month to put food on the table.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

A new resolution before the Hawaii County Council is challenging the Trump administration’s latest immigration directives and urging the state to resist stepped-up federal enforcement.

The council’s Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs will take up the measure today at 9 a.m.

Resolution 399-25, introduced by Councilwomen Jenn Kagiwada of Hilo and Rebecca Villegas of Kona, argues that recent federal actions violate constitutional protections and endanger residents’ safety and rights.

Kagiwada told the Tribune-Herald that the resolution, which is nonbinding, is intended to push state lawmakers to take a more active role in protecting immigrant communities.

“Resolution 399-25 is a direct call to pointed action at the state level,” she said. “It encourages the state to be proactive in upholding immigration rights, including a list of eight tangible actions that the Legislature may propose when the 2026 session begins. These actions are most appropriate at the state level, not the county one.”

The measure cites Trump’s Executive Order 14159, issued Jan. 20, which revoked earlier immigration-enforcement guidelines, expanded federal-local cooperation agreements under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and directed a nationwide increase in arrests, detentions and expedited removals that bypass due-process hearings.

Section 287(g) — added to the INA by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 — allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate certain immigration-officer functions to state and local law enforcement under ICE oversight.

The council resolution also notes that the Trump administration, on the same day, withdrew long-standing policies discouraging immigration enforcement in sensitive locations such as schools, health care facilities, places of worship and disaster-relief sites, opening those areas to operations that had previously been restricted.

According to the resolution, agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have dramatically escalated enforcement activity nationwide.

Hawaii has seen nearly triple the number of detentions and removals compared with the previous year, the resolution says, contributing to heightened fear in immigrant communities, family separations and workplace disruptions.

The resolution emphasizes the issue’s local significance, noting that one in five Hawaii residents is an immigrant and that nearly half of Hawaii County’s roughly 25,000 foreign-born residents are noncitizens.

Resolution 399-25 builds on the council’s earlier action, Resolution 320-25, approved in October, which affirmed the county’s commitment to protecting due-process and constitutional rights for all residents and honoring Hawaii Island’s multicultural and immigrant heritage.

That measure urged county agencies to uphold inclusive community values, directed the mayor to review existing agreements to ensure residents’ rights are protected, and requested that the Hawaii Police Department limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities to criminal matters rather than civil enforcement.

Kagiwada said Resolution 399-25 grew out of public testimony and council discussion surrounding Resolution 320-25.

“Resolution 320-25 affirmed the county’s commitment to multiculturalism and immigrants living on Hawaii Island and expressed our support for upholding their rights,” she said.

“The need for Resolution 399-25 became apparent during those discussions. Some of the actions — such as prohibiting ICE agents from using face-concealing masks or unmarked vehicles — came directly from residents. Others came from immigration-rights organizations, like requiring officers to use detainees’ preferred languages or prohibiting the fulfillment of civil detainer requests. Additional ideas were raised during public discussion among council members.”

Resolution 399-25 urges the state to take steps to protect due-process rights and limit local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement.

Proposed actions include requiring immigration officers to clearly identify themselves during public operations; restricting state agencies from sharing confidential or privileged information with immigration authorities; protecting sensitive locations from enforcement without a judicial warrant; and declining to participate in federal civil detainers or 287(g) agreements.

The resolution also calls for ensuring that individuals in custody are informed of their rights in their preferred language when contacted by immigration authorities.

Kagiwada said the measure is intended as a firm stance from the county.

“As the federal government continues to chip away at our constitutional rights and protections, it is imperative that we stand up for justice at every level of local government,” she said.

“If passed, Resolution 399-25 will express
the council’s desire that the state take a more active role in protecting our immigrant population.”

If the resolution advances out of committee, it will go before the full County Council for consideration.

Email Daniel Farr at dfarr@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii nonprofit received the largest donation in its history to address youth homelessness, courtesy of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos.

Residential Youth Services & Empowerment (RYSE) received a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, the nonprofit announced Monday.

RYSE was identified by a group of national advisers for its work to address family homelessness by providing comprehensive, wraparound services that include shelter, food, healthcare, education and employment support.

RYSE will use the money over the next five years to develop supportive housing programs that serve young families.

“Many of the youth we work with face the heartbreaking choice of staying on the streets rather than leaving their parents or caregivers. This grant allows us to address that directly, keeping families together and creating housing solutions that move family units off the streets and into stability within their own communities,” said Ana Eykel, RYSE senior housing manager.

The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund issues annual awards to organizations and civic groups that help families experiencing homelessness regain safe, stable housing.

Since its inception in 2018, the fund has awarded 280 grants totaling more than $850 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Last year, Hope Services Hawaii on Hawaii Island received $2.5 million to lease homes from the private rental market and sublease them to families at an affordable rate, while also establishing a street medicine program to ensure unsheltered families received the care they needed.

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