Hawaii legislators request regular immigration detainee update meetings
The current immigration enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Hawaii have seen a **dramatic surge in immigration-related arrests**, with a **515% increase in ICE administrative arrests** between early 2024 and mid-2025. This escalation has sparked strong criticism from three of Hawaii's four congressional delegates, who have sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem condemning the department's enforcement tactics.
U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, along with U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda, expressed concerns about the chaos and confusion caused by these enforcement actions, raising serious questions about due process and the targeting of children, workers, and long-time community members, regardless of their criminal history.
The surge in arrests, which has seen more than 117 administrative arrests in Hawaii this year, according to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has prompted local advocacy groups like the ACLU of Hawai‘i to seek clarity and caution against local law enforcement collaboration with federal immigration agencies. The ACLU has requested transparency regarding memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and cooperation levels between county police and Homeland Security Investigations or ICE.
In their letter, the congressional delegates demanded that DHS explain its current enforcement policies and procedures in Hawaii, expressing that these efforts are not making the community safer but are instead instilling fear and terror among residents. They cited several high-profile incidents in Hawaii, including one where federal agents interrogated the wife of an active-duty military member upon her arrival to the U.S., denying her entry and sending her to a detention center.
The DHS and the U.S. Department of Justice are collaborating on targeted enforcement operations to investigate and arrest alleged violators of U.S. immigration law. However, the number of criminal arrests in Hawaii for alleged immigration law violations has not been made public.
U.S. Rep. Ed Case, while respecting his delegation colleagues, disagreed with the letter's approach on immigration. Case supports an amendment requiring ICE agents to display their identifying information when conducting enforcement actions and believes that special procedures should be followed for legitimate enforcement in sensitive areas.
This reflects a tense and highly scrutinized situation regarding immigration enforcement in Hawaii, with significant political and community opposition to current DHS actions. The congressional delegates have requested clarifications on the department's policies and procedures for immigration enforcement and monthly briefings to their offices.
- The surge in immigration-related arrests in Hawaii by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has led to a heated political and community debate, with concerns raised about due process, targeting, and the impact on children, workers, and long-time community members.
- Local advocacy groups like the ACLU of Hawai‘i have called for transparency regarding agreements between county police and federal immigration agencies, seeking clarification on memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and cooperation levels.
- The disputes over the DHS's current immigration enforcement policies and procedures in Hawaii have become a major point of general news, crime-and-justice, and policy-and-legislation discussions, with three out of four congressional delegates sending a letter of criticism to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
