Noncooperation
In effect ✓
Act 141
SB 2057 SD2 HD2 CD1 · signed June 24, 2026
Limiting Cooperation with Federal Civil Immigration Enforcement
Keeping local law enforcement out of federal immigration enforcement.
Prohibits any law enforcement agency or official from entering a federal agreement (such as 287(g)) that permits state or county agencies to engage in immigration enforcement, and prohibits certain immigration-related actions except under limited circumstances.
Why it matters: 287(g) programs lead to racial profiling, unlawful detention, and fear of law enforcement. Ending deputization keeps local resources focused on community safety.
What the law does+
- Limits state and county law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
- Prohibits 287(g) or similar agreements that deputize local officers to carry out federal immigration enforcement.
- With limited exceptions, bars asking about citizenship or immigration status, honoring federal notification requests for immigration enforcement, and sharing non-public personal information with immigration authorities in non-criminal matters.
- Bars immigration interviews of people in custody without their written consent, detention on the basis of hold requests, and transfers to federal immigration authorities without judicial authorization — or otherwise cooperating in civil immigration enforcement.
Survivors of crime
In effect ✓
Act 142
HB 1838 HD2 SD1 CD1 · signed June 24, 2026
U and T Visa Certifications
Protecting survivors of crime who come forward for help.
Establishes uniform statewide requirements for U and T visa certifications for noncitizen victims of crime, consistent with federal law — every state and county certifying entity must adopt an aligned, timely, transparent policy and process.
Why it matters: Survivors should never be punished for seeking help. Standardized policies let survivors report crimes safely and access the protections guaranteed under federal law.
What the law does+
- Statewide standards for U and T visa certifications: written policies, designated certifying officials, and response timelines — expedited for urgent cases, such as a victim in removal proceedings.
- No requirements more restrictive than federal law.
- Language access protocols, victim confidentiality protections, and a rebuttable presumption that the victim was helpful.
- Judicial review of certification delays or denials — petitions in circuit court, with attorney fees if the petitioner prevails.
- The Attorney General trains state and county certifying officials.
Fair sentencing
In effect ✓
Act 143
HB 1548 HD1 SD1 CD1 · signed June 24, 2026
Nonviolent Misdemeanor Sentencing: 364 Days
Preventing unjust sentencing consequences that separate families.
Limits the maximum term of imprisonment for misdemeanors that are not crimes of violence to 364 days, and allows individuals previously sentenced to one year for non-violent offenses to apply for sentence reconsideration.
Why it matters: A single extra day can trigger mandatory detention or deportation under federal law. This promotes proportional sentencing and prevents unnecessary family separation.
What the law does+
- Reduces the maximum sentence for nonviolent misdemeanors by one day, to 364 days, to prevent disproportionate immigration consequences.
- Applies to offenses that are not crimes of violence and are punishable under state law by up to one year.
- “Crime of violence” has the same meaning as in Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes section 134-1.
Act 161
HB 1839 HD2 SD2 CD1 · signed June 25, 2026
The TRUTH Act: Rights Notice and Consent Before ICE Interviews
Defending due process and the rights of people in custody.
Requires state and county law enforcement to notify any individual in custody of their rights before any interview with federal immigration authorities about civil immigration violations can begin — and makes records of federal immigration access to detained individuals public records.
Why it matters: No one should be questioned by immigration authorities without understanding their rights. Consent, language access, and transparency are core principles of due process.
What the law does+
- People in state or county custody must be told their rights — in a language they understand — before any federal civil immigration interview, including the right to have their attorney present and to decline the interview.
- ICE is granted access only with the person’s written consent.
- Notice is also required when ICE requests an immigration hold, a transfer, or notification of release — and how the agency intends to respond.
- Records related to federal immigration requests are public records.
- Violations can be brought to the Attorney General or county prosecutors; people whose due process rights are violated may sue.
Protected community locations
In effect ✓
Act 162
HB 1870 HD2 SD1 CD1 · signed June 25, 2026
Protected Community Locations
Protecting access to schools, hospitals, and other essential spaces.
Requires all state and county agencies operating protected community locations — schools, hospitals, courthouses, libraries, shelters — to adopt and post written policies by January 1, 2027: identifying nonpublic areas, establishing warrant-verification and staff-response procedures, prohibiting collection of certain immigration-status data, and requiring annual training and multilingual notices. The Attorney General publishes model policies.
Why it matters: People must be able to access education, health care, emergency services, and courts without fear. This restores protections lost at the federal level and rebuilds trust in public institutions.
Agency policies due January 1, 2027
What the law does+
- State and county agencies that operate sensitive locations must adopt and post policies that identify nonpublic areas, set procedures for warrant verification and staff response, prohibit collecting certain immigration-status data, and require annual staff training.
- Multilingual notices that services are provided regardless of immigration status.
- The Attorney General publishes model policies for state and county agencies to adopt — and for private operators such as schools or places of worship to adopt voluntarily.
Language access
In effect ✓
Act 179
SB 3238 SD1 HD1 CD1 · signed June 26, 2026
Language Access Education and Workforce Program
Breaking language barriers to essential services and opportunities.
Establishes a Language Access Education and Workforce Development Program at the University of Hawaiʻi — positions and funds at UH Mānoa, Leeward Community College, and Kapiʻolani Community College — building a pipeline of certified interpreters for state services in Hawaiʻi’s most-spoken languages.
Why it matters: Language access is meaningful access. A trained interpreter workforce turns rights on paper into services people can actually use.
What the law does+
- A language access education and workforce development program at the University of Hawaiʻi.
- Priority for high school graduates who earned the Department of Education’s Seal of Biliteracy and for community members with demonstrated biliteracy.
- Training in ethics, standards, best practices, specialized instruction, and opportunities in public service settings.
- Funding divided among UH Mānoa, Leeward Community College, and Kapiʻolani Community College.
