HAWAII, Hawaii (KHON2) — It’s a relationship that’s sparked protests in other cities — and now a growing concern in Hawaii’s counties.
Community members, like those speaking before the Hawaii County Police Commission on July 10, are sounding the alarm over fears of an agreement between Hawaii County’s police departments and federal immigration agencies, specifically ICE and Homeland Security Investigations.
“This is not a matter of immigration policy, it’s a matter of civil rights, community trust and public safety,” said Christina Holt, a testifier at the commission meeting.
The concern has prompted the ACLU to request public records of all county police departments that may show any collaboration agreements.
“We wanted to make sure that we have the correct information before we decide what steps to take,” said Emily Hills, ACLU attorney.
The concerns have grown in the aftermath of the passage of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that increases funding for immigration enforcement. But the Special Agent in Charge with Hawaii’s Homeland Security Investigations office says increased funding does not mean making more immigration arrests.
“If anything, it gives us more resources to be able to conduct the investigations that homeland security investigation traditionally enforces, which is anything having to do with drugs, counter proliferation, child pornography, human trafficking. We enforce over 400 federal laws,” said Lucy Cabral-DeArmas, HSI Special Agent in Charge.
Cabral-DeArmas says there is no agreement nor would they ask for police involvement beyond basic protection.
“We’ll ask for law enforcement to provide us uniform officers just to stand by to make sure that while we’re executing the search warrant, then nobody comes in behind us,” Cabral-DeArmas said.
But the ACLU is just one agency who is advocating for clear guidelines on cooperation going forward.
“Studies have shown that police collaboration actually decreases community safety because people are afraid to come forward if people think that they or their family members or their neighbors could be reported to immigration,” Hills said.
While the issue remains politically charged, Hawaii’s HSI says it continues their operations as it has done, even before the bill was passed.
“So I want to make sure that the public understands that we’re here to ensure the safety of our citizens,” Cabral-DeArmas said.