Immigration advocates in Hawaiʻi are working to keep up with the latest Republican crackdown on those who are in this country illegally. Changes within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stand to affect millions of immigrants across the country including here in Hawaiʻi.
HPR talked with Sandy Ma, community and policy advocate for The Legal Clinic, and Liza Ryan Gill, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, about how the Trump administration's deportation orders are affecting immigrants and the people who serve them.
Gill recently spoke with each county's chief of police about ICE's efforts to engage local law enforcement on immigration arrests. She was told there has been no coordination with federal agents — that's in stark contrast to several states that already have cooperative agreements with ICE.
The bill that Ma and Gill mentioned, House Bill 457, which calls for civil rights protections, is advancing and awaits a full floor vote.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Feb. 6, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
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