Video & Transcript : 'immigration verification' :
Page 90 of 329
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Appropriations Jan 27th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, IMMIGRATION POLICY, THERE ARE THINGS SPREAD OUT ALL OVER STATE GOVERNMENT AND
- I'M NOT SAYING THEY ARE TAKING THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, BUT THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
- ABOUT 423 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DID.
- THE UF GIRL WHO GOT REJECTED IN PLACE OF AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, DID THE IMMIGRANTS HAVE WORSE GRADES
- ANTI-IMMIGRANT PROPAGANDA.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> security risk unlike legal immigrants security risk unlike legal immigrants illegal<00:40:50.720
- </c> aliens um illegal or unlawful immigrant aliens um illegal or unlawful immigrant I<01:08:55.759><
- </c> participation in the Federal immigration participation in the Federal immigration program<01:18:
- officials. immigration laws and identify immigration laws and identify individuals<01:31:49.960><c>
- They're an illegal immigrant.
Committee:
Senate Judiciary
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
JHA Public Hearing - Fri Feb 13, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST
Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights. Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
- ><c> Immigration</c><00:33:37.200><c> Law</c> Refugee and Immigrant Immigration Law Refugee and Immigrant
- </c> preserving access to immigration relief. preserving access to immigration relief.
- </c> immigration review process. immigration review process.
- </c> immigration issues. Is is that correct? immigration issues. Is is that correct?
Committee:
House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on House Bill 1768, which would prohibit state and county law enforcement agencies and officials from entering into federal immigration-enforcement agreements under 8 U.S.C. 1357(g) and from assisting in certain immigration enforcement actions except in limited circumstances. The Office of the Public Defender, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Legal Clinic, and the ACLU of Hawaiʻi all testified in strong support, arguing the bill would protect due process, reduce fear in immigrant communities, preserve trust in local police, and keep local resources focused on public safety. Testifiers said cooperation with immigration enforcement can chill court attendance, crime reporting, and cooperation with police, and they emphasized that the bill would not stop federal enforcement or affect other deputization agreements for environmental or other criminal matters. Committee members asked whether any 287(g) agreements currently exist in Hawaiʻi; testifiers said they were unaware of any and believed the bill would maintain the status quo. No vote was taken in the portion provided.
The committee then took up House Bill 1548, which would reduce the maximum sentence for misdemeanors from one year to 364 days and allow people previously sentenced to one year to seek sentence modification. The Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Legal Clinic, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, and the William S. Richardson School of Law immigration clinic all supported the measure, saying the one-day change could prevent severe immigration consequences such as detention, removal, and bars to relief that can be triggered by a sentence of 365 days or more. Testifiers stressed that the bill would not change criminal liability or public safety, but would align Hawaiʻi law with similar reforms adopted in other states. Members questioned whether the change would affect citizens or create an automatic immigration process; witnesses responded that the issue is the federal immigration consequence tied to the maximum sentence, not actual time served, and that citizens would not face that consequence. The transcript ends during continued discussion of HB 1548, with no final vote shown.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Executive Departments and Administration (02/11/2026)
Executive Departments and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- ;> No, it's an or either one as long as they<01:04:25.119><c> provided</c><01:04:25.520><c> verification
- </c> they provided verification. they provided verification.
- the applicant has to >> this is just saying the applicant has to provide<01:04:35.359><c> verification
- </c><01:04:36.000><c> that</c><01:04:36.240><c> the</c> provide verification that the provide verification
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- Does that go through any sort of identity verification process, or how is that vetted?
- process where we remove verification process where we remove inactive<04:02:44.319><c> voters</c><04
- House Bill 1600 keeps New Hampshire's voter verification standards intact while bringing our systems
- House Bill 1600 keeps New Hampshire's voter verification standards intact while bringing our systems
- Hampshire's voter verification standards intact while bringing our systems into the 21st century.
Committee:
House Election Law
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session (Full Formal with Calendar) May 7th, 2026
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Today, we affirm that we are a nation of immigrants, made better, made stronger by immigrants.
- In Massachusetts, immigrants contribute an estimated 116 In Massachusetts, immigrants contribute an estimated
- Immigrants are not being targeted because the data demands it.
- Tarr, immigration detainer. The question comes on adoption.
- in immigration cases.
Summary:
The Senate took up the Protect Act, a broad immigration-related bill, and first adopted Amendment 6 offered by Senator Kennedy. Kennedy framed the amendment as strengthening protections for DDS facilities and other disability-related settings, arguing that immigrant caregivers are essential to the direct care workforce and that these spaces should be treated as sensitive care environments. The chamber also agreed to print several senators’ remarks in the journal.
Members then considered a series of amendments, with many withdrawn or rejected. An effective-date amendment was adopted, while multiple amendments from Senator Tarr and Senator Keenan dealing with 287G agreements, detainers, civil arrests, notification procedures, sanctuary-related language, and other enforcement provisions were defeated. Amendment 34, expanding safe-space language to include residential schools and residential programs licensed or funded by the state, was adopted. Amendment 11 on protecting immigrant victims of crime and trafficking was not adopted.
Later, the Senate adopted Amendment 10 from Senator Edwards on courthouse curtilage and Amendment 20 establishing a commission on immigration, with Edwards noting minority-party representation would be included. Amendment 13 from Senator Miranda, protecting health care workers from retaliation when acting in good faith for patients, was also adopted. A corrective amendment from Senator Friedman was adopted, and Senator Montigny used the occasion to speak about human trafficking and the need to protect victims and prosecute traffickers.
After the Ways and Means recommendation was adopted, the bill was ordered to a third reading and then passed to be engrossed by a roll call vote of 37-3. The Senate then took up a House amendment to a student learning and mental health bill, rejected the House changes, and appointed a conference committee. The chamber also adopted an order to adjourn and recessed until the following Monday.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- he says immigrants should do.
- And I'm an immigrant.
- been immigrants. on and on citing similar statistics with the contributions that immigrants have and
- That my colleague may represent the immigrant city, I will say a lot of those immigrants came through
- We need to think about immigration court.
Summary:
The Senate convened with routine opening business, including the Pledge of Allegiance and the filing of several reports, such as the Parole Board’s 2023 annual report and a fiscal year 2025 prior-year deficiency report from the Comptroller. Those reports were ordered placed on file. The remainder of the session was devoted almost entirely to a series of brief statements by the Senate President and many senators responding to what they described as federal actions under the Trump administration, especially immigration enforcement without due process, court defiance, and broader threats to democratic norms.
Senators repeatedly condemned the detention and deportation of immigrants, students, researchers, and even some U.S. citizens, citing specific Massachusetts cases including Ramesa Ozturk of Tufts, Juan Francisco Mendez, Sunua Petrova, and others. Members also raised concerns about cuts to federal funding affecting Massachusetts, including NIH and university research, asthma prevention, education, climate resilience, and veterans’ services. Several senators tied these issues to the state’s economy, higher education, health care, and immigrant communities, and many invoked Massachusetts and American history to argue for due process, the rule of law, and resistance to authoritarianism.
A few policy responses were mentioned, including support for increasing funding for the Attorney General to handle lawsuits, and references to bills or proposals such as the Immigrant Legal Defense Act, the Dignity Not Deportation Act, the Safe Communities Act, and the Location Shield Act. The Senate President also referenced the chamber’s broader “Response 2025” initiative. No substantive legislation was debated or voted on during the statements themselves, aside from the adoption of an order to adjourn and the setting of the next meeting for Thursday at 11:00 a.m.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
PSM-HHS, PSM-EIG, PSM DEFER, PSM Public Hearings 03-23-2026
Public Safety and Military Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> House Draft 1 relating to immigration. House Draft 1 relating to immigration.
- </c> try to enforce federal immigration law. try to enforce federal immigration law.
- Immigration ...
- </c> immigration officers in the country. immigration officers in the country.
- </c> other sorts of immigration status. other sorts of immigration status.
Committee:
Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs
Summary:
The joint hearing covered HB 1976, relating to dementia training for law enforcement, and HB 2443, relating to disaster services for people with disabilities and access or functional needs. For HB 1976, the Hawaii Law Enforcement Standards Board opposed the bill’s process and cost, arguing there was no documented training gap because existing CALEA accreditation already includes mental illness response training that covers dementia. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, disability advocates, caregivers, and several individuals, said dementia-specific training would help first responders better handle real-world encounters and avoid harmful misunderstandings. The committee later recommended passage with amendments, including changing mandatory language to permissive language in several places and removing a deadline for the first annual training cycle; the recommendation was adopted unanimously.
For HB 2443, testimony was strongly supportive. The Disability Communication Access Board, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Wellness and Resilience, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and individual testifiers said the bill would strengthen emergency planning and response by adding a Disability Integration Specialist and better integrating people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs into disaster preparedness, sheltering, and FEMA coordination. Several speakers emphasized recent storms and rescues as evidence of the need. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including changes based on Attorney General comments and adding specialized communications and comprehensive communications planning provisions previously contained in another bill; that recommendation was also adopted unanimously.
The transcript then moved to a separate mini hearing on HB 1768, relating to immigration enforcement. Supporters, including the ACLU of Hawaii, the Legal Clinic, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, argued the bill would prevent local law enforcement from entering 287(g)-type agreements or otherwise participating in federal immigration enforcement, citing civil rights concerns, community trust, and the need for police to focus on local public safety. One testifier raised concerns that local cooperation could help avoid mistakes in enforcement, while supporters responded that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that local agencies should not be deputized for civil immigration arrests. The excerpt ends amid extended member questions and discussion, without showing a final vote on HB 1768.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Consumer and Public Affairs Jan 22nd, 2026 at 01:59 pm
House Consumer & Public Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- If public bodies are not able to use public property to detain immigrants for federal civil immigration
- services to immigrants throughout the state.
- The Immigrant Safety Act speaks...
- Basic human rights of our immigrant neighbors.
- Immigrants across the country.
Committee:
House House Consumer & Public Affairs
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Floor Session Feb 3rd, 2025
California House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- He's enforcing our immigration laws. He's removing criminal, illegal immigrants.
- Our state literally runs on the backs of immigrants. immigrants.
- My opposition is not rooted in hostility towards immigrants. I am the daughter of immigrants.
- This is not about immigrants. this country not wanting immigrants.
- or descendant of immigrants.
US
US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session
US House Floor Proceedings (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)
US Federal House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Many of the players on Team USA are immigrants or are children of immigrants.
- Not pitting immigrant against non-immigrant.
- Immigrants built this country.
- Today, more than one in five Black Americans are immigrants or children of immigrants.
- DHS's violence and immigration DHS's violence and immigration enforcement have denied immigrants the
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Committee on the Census Feb 10th, 2026
Senate Committee on the Census
Transcript Highlights:
- Now I'm going to talk about immigration.
- Everyone's lost on the immigration front for the most part. Immigration front for the most part.
- A lot of duplication here in the lowest immigration rates and immigration counts in the last year.
- You know, we do know that immigrant and international immigration is down below levels reflected in any
- Now, the high-growth scenario, what does that assume in terms of immigrant, in that international immigration
Committee:
Senate Senate Committee on the Census
Summary:
The Senate Committee on the Census, chaired by Senator Will Brownsberger with Senator Liz Miranda and other members participating, held a hearing on mid-decade population estimates and projections for Massachusetts. Susan Strait of the UMass Donahue Institute presented the latest Census Bureau estimates and explained the main components of population change: births, deaths, domestic migration, and international migration. She said Massachusetts has continued to grow, but much more slowly than in the immediate post-2020 period, largely because net international migration has fallen sharply after a pandemic-era surge. She also reviewed fertility and aging trends, noting that births are concentrated among women in their 30s, that the state’s population is aging, and that the share of residents 65 and older is projected to rise substantially, increasing the dependency ratio.
Strait and committee members discussed the role of immigration in Massachusetts’ population growth, the concentration of immigrants in Greater Boston and other regions, and the effect of immigration on births and the labor force. They also discussed domestic out-migration, especially among young adults, and the possibility that housing affordability is a major driver. Senators raised questions about how the Census counts people in group quarters such as prisons and dormitories, and Strait explained that the Census counts incarcerated people where they are housed and generally does not treat dormitory residents as migrants in the same way as household residents. She said the Census Bureau is still working on methodological issues such as extending a “college fix” to more areas.
Jesse Partridge Guerrero of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council described how MAPC uses Donahue Institute population projections, household headship rates, and UrbanSim to allocate projected households down to regional, municipal, and sub-municipal levels. He said the projections used for MassDOT’s long-range transportation plan anticipated slower statewide growth and regional decline in the Cape and parts of western and central Massachusetts. Tim Reardon of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities then explained how those projections feed into the statewide housing plan, including three population scenarios and associated housing needs. He said the plan estimates a need for about 115,000 homes to address existing shortages and another 73,000 households even under a low-growth scenario, with total housing needs rising to roughly 222,000 units under the middle scenario and 262,000 under the high scenario. Members pressed him on whether the scenarios may understate future need given the recent drop in immigration and ongoing affordability problems, and he said the state is also pursuing housing production, rental assistance, shelter response, seasonal conversion prevention, and infrastructure support for communities. No votes were taken.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Suspend rules to take up HF16 3/16/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Immigrants energize our economy. Nearly 20% of construction workers are undocumented immigrants.
- Thank you. immigrants who care for our family immigrants who care for our family members<00:07:32.400
- </c> Operation Metro Surge on these immigrant Operation Metro Surge on these immigrant workers<00:07:
- </c> on the enforcement of immigration law. on the enforcement of immigration law.
- </c> local and federal immigration local and federal immigration authorities<00:19:35.600><c> who</c>
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Hearing Assembly Health Committee and Senate Health Committee Aug 19th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- status and restrictions on immigrant eligibility coverage.
- We, like many, have been impacted by immigration enforcement.
- , but H.R. 1 kicks almost all immigrants, almost all immigrants without a green card, off of the few
- Look, now more than ever, our immigrant Look, now more than ever, our immigrant communities' health and
- We had a sense of what was on the minds of our immigrant families.
Summary:
The joint informational hearing focused on the impacts of H.R. 1 on California’s Medi-Cal program and on community health effects from recent immigration enforcement actions. Committee leaders said H.R. 1 would sharply reduce federal funding, increase administrative burdens, and worsen access to care, especially for Medi-Cal enrollees, immigrant families, rural communities, and reproductive health patients. The second half of the hearing examined how ICE raids and related federal actions are creating fear, reducing clinic and emergency department use, and disrupting children’s access to schools and early childhood education.
Department of Health Care Services Director Michelle Bass outlined the main H.R. 1 provisions affecting Medi-Cal: work requirements, semiannual eligibility redeterminations, shorter retroactive coverage, new cost-sharing, limits on provider taxes and state-directed payments, reduced federal support for emergency and lawful immigrant coverage, and a one-year ban on Medicaid funding for prohibited abortion providers. She estimated millions could lose coverage, with tens of billions of dollars in federal funding at risk. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California warned the defunding provision could force clinic closures, service reductions, and loss of access to family planning, STI testing, and cancer screenings. The California Hospital Association said the financing changes could cut hospital revenue by tens of billions over 10 years and threaten access, especially for rural and safety-net hospitals. The Western Center on Law and Poverty argued the law would increase churn, paperwork, and uninsured rates, disproportionately harming working adults and people experiencing homelessness.
Committee members asked about implementation timelines, notification systems, administrative costs, the effect on immigrant eligibility, and whether California could delay or mitigate some provisions. Bass said the state was still assessing federal guidance, planning county and provider outreach, and exploring a possible delay for work requirements and a transition period for provider-tax changes. Members also discussed how state budget actions may need to be revisited in light of H.R. 1, and how California might preserve access through state-only funding or other policy changes.
In the second panel, CHIRLA, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and the Children’s Partnership described the health consequences of immigration enforcement. Speakers said raids and data-sharing fears are causing anxiety, trauma, and avoidance of care, with Los Angeles County reporting declines in emergency, urgent care, and clinic visits after enforcement actions. The Children’s Partnership said school and early childhood absences are rising in some communities and that enforcement is undermining children’s emotional well-being and access to education. Members asked for more data and discussed possible state protections, telehealth, mobile care, and legal and policy responses to reduce fear and preserve access to health and education services.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Committee on the Census Feb 10th, 2026
Senate Committee on the Census
Transcript Highlights:
- Now I'm going to talk about immigration.
- Everyone's lost on the immigration front for the most part. Immigration front for the most part.
- A lot of duplication here, and the lowest immigration rates and immigration sounds in the last year.
- You know, we do know that immigrant and international immigration is down below levels reflected in any
- Now, the high-growth scenario, what does that assume in terms of immigrant, in that international immigration
Committee:
Senate Senate Committee on the Census
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session (Full Formal with Calendar) Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Today, we affirm that we are a nation of immigrants, made better, made stronger by immigrants.
- Immigrants are not being targeted because the data demands it.
- Eldridge, protect immigrant victims of crime and trafficking.
- Tarr, immigration detainer. The question comes on adoption.
- in immigration cases.
Summary:
The Senate considered a comprehensive immigration-related bill, the Protect Act (House No. 5316), with extensive debate focused on limiting civil immigration enforcement in sensitive locations and protecting immigrants, victims, workers, and public institutions. Supporters argued the bill would reduce fear in schools, hospitals, courts, child care settings, and other community spaces, while preserving criminal law enforcement and public safety cooperation. Several senators also emphasized the economic and community contributions of immigrants, and some spoke from personal or district experience about fear, school enrollment declines, and impacts on health care and daily life.
A number of amendments were debated. Amendment 6, offered by Senator Kennedy, was adopted to extend protections to DDS facilities and disability-related care settings, with supporters stressing the importance of protecting immigrant caregivers and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Other adopted amendments included Amendment 7 on effective dates, Amendment 34 adding residential schools/programs as safe spaces, Amendment 10 on courthouse curtilage, Amendment 13 protecting health care workers from retaliation, Amendment 20 establishing an immigration commission with minority-party representation, and Amendment 69 as a corrective/technical amendment. Many other amendments, largely offered by Senator Tarr and others, were rejected, including proposals concerning 287G agreements, detainers, civil arrests, court authority, and legal defense funding; several amendments were also withdrawn.
The chamber took multiple roll-call votes on contested amendments. Amendment 59 on 287G funds was defeated 5-34, Amendment 63 on status information tied to criminal offenses was defeated 7-32, Amendment 67 on felony detainers was defeated 10-29, and Amendment 75 on state-funded legal defense programs was defeated 5-34. After amendments were completed, the Senate adopted the Ways and Means recommendation, ordered the bill to a third reading, and then passed it to be engrossed by a 37-3 vote. The Senate later rejected a House amendment, appointed a conference committee, and adjourned to meet again the following Monday at 11:00 a.m.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session (Full Formal with Calendar) May 7th, 2026
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Today, we affirm that we are a nation of immigrants, made better, made stronger by immigrants.
- In Massachusetts, immigrants contribute an estimated 116 In Massachusetts, immigrants contribute an estimated
- Immigrants are not being targeted because the data demands it.
- Eldridge, protect immigrant victims of crime and trafficking.
- in immigration cases.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Committee on the Census Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Senate Committee on the Census
Transcript Highlights:
- Everyone's lost on the immigration front for the most part. Immigration front for the most part.
- Florida gained the most immigrants.
- A lot of duplication here in the lowest immigration rates and immigration counts in the last year.
- You know, we do know that immigrant and international immigration is down below levels reflected in any
- You know, we do know that immigrant and international immigration is down below levels reflected in any
Committee:
Senate Senate Committee on the Census
Summary:
The Senate Committee on the Census heard presentations on Massachusetts population trends and how they affect state housing planning. Susan Strait of the UMass Donahue Institute reviewed recent Census Bureau estimates, saying Massachusetts grew strongly over the last decade but that growth has slowed sharply in the newest estimates, largely because net international migration has fallen from a post-pandemic surge. She also described the four components of population change—births, deaths, domestic migration, and international migration—along with aging trends, declining fertility, the importance of the millennial cohort, and the role of foreign-born residents in births and the labor force. Committee members asked about college students in group quarters and about counting incarcerated people, and Strait explained the Census Bureau’s current methods and noted that some issues remain under discussion.
Jesse Guerrero of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council then explained how MAPC uses UMass Donahue population projections to build household and local land-use forecasts for MassDOT and the statewide housing plan. He said the earlier transportation projections anticipated slower statewide growth and regional decline in western Massachusetts and on the Cape, with more growth in eastern Massachusetts. He also described how household formation, development patterns, zoning, and affordability are modeled, and noted that newer housing-plan scenarios use updated Census data and different assumptions about migration. Senator Miranda raised concerns about Cape Cod population loss and whether seasonal residents are being counted, and Guerrero and Strait said the projections focus on permanent residents, not seasonal populations.
Tim Reardon of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities tied the demographic forecasts to the statewide housing plan, saying housing demand exists even under low-growth or slight-decline scenarios. He said the plan estimates about 115,000 homes are needed to address existing shortages, including doubled-up households, shelter families, seasonal conversion losses, and the need for healthier vacancy rates, plus additional units tied to future household formation. He added that the state’s total housing target is about 222,000 units, or as high as 262,000 under a higher-growth scenario. Senators pressed him on whether the scenarios are now too high given the recent drop in immigration, on affordability and out-migration, and on whether the housing plan adequately reflects homelessness and overcrowding in Boston and elsewhere. Reardon said the plan includes production, rental assistance, shelter prevention, and preservation strategies, and noted that HLC is also using grant programs and MBTA Communities-related infrastructure funding to support housing production statewide.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
PBS Info Briefing - Mon Nov 10, 2025 @ 10:15 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> immigration enforcement. immigration enforcement.
- immigration violators.
- And we are not immigration attorneys, nor are we immigration experts.
- </c> immigration proceedings that may result. immigration proceedings that may result.
- </c> agencies for immigration enforcement. agencies for immigration enforcement.
Summary:
The Committee on Public Safety held an informational briefing on findings from the deportation data project and possible policy responses to increased federal immigration enforcement in Hawaii. In opening remarks, the chair said the committee was concerned about changing federal executive orders, policies, and enforcement actions, and framed the issue as one involving due process and public safety. The chair and presenters described reports of ICE activity on multiple islands, including raids, courthouse presence, and fear in immigrant communities, and said the committee was considering whether state policies should be advanced more quickly.
Mandy Fernandez of the ACLU of Hawaii presented updated deportation data and argued that increased immigration enforcement is creating fear, reducing crime reporting, and potentially making state and local agencies extensions of the federal immigration agenda if they accept federal funding with conditions. She said the deportation data project, housed at UC Berkeley Law with UCLA’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy, uses FOIA requests and its latest data runs through late July 2025. She reported 153 ICE arrests in Hawaii from January through July 2025, up from 41 in the same period in 2024; 96 removals, up from 15; a federal detention center average daily population of 91 in June 2025 versus 31 in June 2024; and 111 ICE detainers issued in Hawaii from September 2023 through July 2025, with 49 issued in 2025. She also cited an immigration court backlog of 1,144 pending cases as of August 2025 and noted that about one in five Hawaii residents were born outside the United States.
Haley Chang of the Office of the Public Defender said her office is seeing a marked increase in ICE presence around courthouses and more ICE contacts with clients, including reports of people being detained after court appearances or while on supervision. She emphasized that the office is not an immigration law office and that much of its information is anecdotal, but said the pattern appears new compared with prior years. In response to committee questions, she explained that ICE detainers are requests, not judicial warrants, and said local law enforcement is generally not required to honor them unless accompanied by a judicial warrant or other legal authority. She also said the public defender’s office had not yet seen new criminal charges arise solely from an ICE detention or failure to appear tied to immigration enforcement, though cases could be affected if defendants are removed from the criminal process.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- I'm not an immigrant. My parents weren't immigrants. My grandparents weren't immigrants.
- Immigrants are here.
- I'm an immigration attorney with 15 years of experience representing immigrant families across our state
- Since I'm an immigration attorney, I'm going to focus this testimony on immigration law and how this
- Immigration status can change and federal immigration law can change. would have to be so wealthy that
Bills:
HB232
Committee:
House Higher Education
Keywords:
disaster recovery, natural disaster, weather disaster, emergency relief, flood relief, hurricane relief, storm damage, wildfire, tornado, hail, windstorm, extreme heat, ice storm, snowstorm, property damage, personal injury, temporary housing, relocation assistance, lost wages, state emergency management