←Back to Our Work

Six bills.
Real change.
Real aloha.

✓ Signed into law · July 28, 2026

The Campaign for Immigrant Justice was a coordinated, statewide effort to defend constitutional rights, due process, and human dignity for all people in Hawaiʻi — regardless of immigration status. On May 6, 2026, six campaign bills passed Final Reading in both chambers; on July 28, Governor Josh Green signed them into law at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.

0
Bills signed
0
Session testimonies
0
Unique voices
0+
Organizations
Campaign for Immigrant Justice — defending due process for all Campaign for Immigrant Justice — defending due process for all
HCIR · ACLU of Hawaiʻi · The Legal Clinic
The campaign

Why this campaign was needed

Federal rollbacks and aggressive immigration enforcement tactics created fear, confusion, and harm in immigrant communities. Families were scared to go to schools, hospitals, and courts. Survivors of violence hesitated to seek help. Local systems were increasingly pressured to act as extensions of federal immigration enforcement — undermining trust, safety, and due process for everyone.

Hawaiʻi had the power and the responsibility to set clear standards that protect constitutional rights, strengthen public safety, and affirm our shared values of dignity and fairness. A joint effort of HCIR, ACLU of Hawaiʻi, and The Legal Clinic — alongside immigrant-serving, ally, and social justice organizations statewide — carried a package of state legislation through the 2026 session.

The package set out to
Protect access to essential services
Prevent harmful entanglement with federal immigration enforcement
Increase transparency, fairness, and accountability in law enforcement systems
Keep families and communities together
Led by ACLU of Hawaiʻi The Legal Clinic + 30+ co-sponsoring
organizations
Campaign journey · 2026

From intro to law

How the 2026 package moved through the Hawaiʻi Legislature — every stage carried by community power.

0+
Introduced
Across 6 CIJ subject areas
0
Crossed over
Cleared originating chamber
0
Both chambers
Passed House & Senate
0
Final reading
Passed both chambers · May 6
6 ✓
Signed into law
Governor Green · July 28
Testimony volume · 2026 session

Community power, by the numbers

0
Total session testimonies
Submitted across all CIJ bills heard between January and May — the biggest mobilization in recent memory.
For the bills that made it
768 testimonies · 365 unique voices

Powering the six bills that reached the Governor's desk.

Testimony submissions in support, by source
0
Organizations
+
0
Individuals
=
0
Unique voices
The 2026 final package

The six bills that became law

Passed Final Reading on May 6 — signed by Governor Green on July 28. Together they reshape how Hawaiʻi protects immigrant communities, families, and survivors.

Restore Sensitive Locations
HB 1870 CD1
SIGNED ✓

Protected Community Locations

By 1/1/2027, requires all state and county agencies operating protected community locations — schools, hospitals, courthouses, libraries, shelters — to adopt and post written policies: 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.

0
Testimonies
0
Individuals
0
Organizations
Noncooperation Agreements
SB 2057 CD1
SIGNED ✓

No 287(g) — Limits on Local-Federal Cooperation

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.

0
Testimonies
0
Individuals
0
Organizations
TRUTH Act
HB 1839 CD1
SIGNED ✓

Rights 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.

0
Testimonies
0
Individuals
0
Organizations
Fair Sentencing
HB 1548 CD1
SIGNED ✓

364-Day Misdemeanor Cap

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.

0
Testimonies
0
Individuals
0
Organizations
U & T Visa Certification
HB 1838 CD1
SIGNED ✓

For Survivors of Crime

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.

0
Testimonies
0
Individuals
0
Organizations
Language Access
SB 3238 CD1
SIGNED ✓

Education & Workforce Program

Establishes a Language Access Education and Workforce Development Program at the University of Hawaiʻi — with positions and appropriated funds — 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.

0
Testimonies
0
Individuals
0
Organizations
July 28, 2026 · Hawaiʻi State Capitol

The day it became law

Governor Josh Green signed the campaign's landmark bills — called some of the strongest immigrant justice laws in the nation.

Governor Josh Green, legislators, and Campaign for Immigrant Justice advocates holding the signed bills at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol
The signed bills, held high — Governor's office, Hawaiʻi State Capitol.
Coalition members, advocates, and Governor Josh Green with lei at the bill signing ceremony in front of the State of Hawaiʻi seal
The coalition that made it law — July 28, 2026.
Who powered the campaign

Champions of the 2026 session

Across the six bills, these organizations and community members showed up most often — testifying, organizing, and refusing to let due process become optional.

Top 10 organizations
By testimony count
01The Legal Clinic (TLC)12
02HCIR11
03Roots Reborn / EPA Maui11
04ACLU of Hawaiʻi10
05League of Women Voters of Hawaiʻi7
06Mercado de La Raza5
07Pacific Gateway Center5
08Office of the Public Defender5
09Kona Indivisible4
10Imua Alliance4
Top 10 individuals
By testimony count
01Jeremiah Brown8
02Tim Huycke8
03Jessica Kuzmier8
04Younghee Overly7
05Deanna Espinas7
06Jesse Hutchison7
07Yvette Kay6
08Christine Andrews, J.D.6
09Shay Chan Hodges6
10Brodie Lockard6
From the coalition

Mahalo nui loa.

To every individual who took time out of their day — sometimes again and again, on multiple bills — to write testimony, attend a hearing, make a phone call, or speak truth to power: thank you. 305 unique community members made their voices heard on these bills, and every single voice mattered.

To our 60 partner organizations — from The Legal Clinic, ACLU of Hawaiʻi, and Roots Reborn / EPA Maui, who showed up on every bill, to faith communities, labor unions, public defenders, language access advocates, and grassroots groups across every island — you are the coalition. This victory is shared.

To the legislators who listened, who introduced these bills, carried them through committee, and voted yes on Final Reading — and to the Governor who signed them: mahalo for choosing the side of due process and dignity. To the staff who answered our emails late at night and tracked amendments through conference committee: we see you.

And to those still living in fear of federal enforcement, of family separation, of being criminalized for who you are or where you came from: this work is for you. The session is over. The work isn't. We will keep showing up.

— HCIR, ACLU of Hawaiʻi & The Legal Clinic

The laws are signed. Implementation is next.

New laws need watchful communities. Follow the campaign records, sign on, or support the coalition directly.

Donate ← Back to Our Work