Bill > HB2540

This bill establishes new policies and limitations on how state and local law enforcement agencies in Hawaii can collaborate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. It requires these agencies to create and publicly share written policies detailing their procedures for civil immigration enforcement, including when officers can inquire about a person's immigration status. Importantly, law enforcement officers are prohibited from stopping, detaining, or arresting someone solely to determine their immigration status, unless they have a specific, articulable reason to believe the person is unlawfully present and it's allowed by state law and the agency's policy, and this suspicion cannot be based on factors like race or national origin. The bill also sets conditions for state and county involvement in civil immigration enforcement, restricting such activities at sensitive locations like schools, places of worship, and healthcare facilities, and prohibits state and county employees from assisting federal immigration enforcement operations that might infringe on constitutional rights or target protected activities. The Department of Law Enforcement is tasked with helping state and county agencies comply with these new policies.

Business and Industry, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2540&year=2026