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Committee adopts amendments clarifying limits on state assistance to federal civil immigration enforcement (SB 2057)
Summary
The committee advanced SB 2057 with clarifying amendments to ensure the rule excludes actions required by federal or state law and to list specific facilitation items; testimony emphasized protecting access to services and avoiding misuse of local law enforcement for civil immigration purposes.
Senate Bill 2057 would prohibit state‑origin personnel and funds from being used to assist federal civil immigration enforcement when that assistance goes beyond local duties. The committee adopted clarifying amendments proposed by the chair to match defined facilitation terms and to carve out assistance that is expressly required by federal or state law (including the Title 8 U.S. Code sections referenced in testimony).
Supporters—including the Office of the Public Defender, the ACLU of Hawaii, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and public‑health agencies—said the bill protects community trust and access to services by ensuring local law enforcement does not carry out civil immigration enforcement. Liza Ryan Gill (Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights) described community fear when federal agents or the National Guard appear, and the ACLU representative emphasized that mere undocumented presence is a federal civil offense rather than a state crime, arguing against local 'commandeering' for civil immigration purposes.
Opponents and some members raised concerns about the bill’s potential impact on cooperative federal‑state operations; the chair’s amendments clarified that the prohibition would not prevent information or assistance expressly required by federal or state statute and added specific examples (vehicles, databases, surveillance technology, communication systems) to the definition of facilitation.
The committee voted to adopt the clarified language and moved the bill forward with amendments. Chair Tarnas noted the committee’s action preserves local autonomy while clarifying statutory exceptions.
