HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0125.089 2024-2026E
From: Lynda Lovon
Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2025 9:49 AM
To: Council Testimony, Kagiwada, Jennifer, Kimball, Heather, Kierkiewicz, Ashley.
Subject: Testimony in Strong Opposition to Resolution 74-25
am writing in strong opposition to Resolution 74-25, which would authorize the Hawaii County Mayor to
enter into agreements embedding federal Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents within the
Hawaii Police Department (HPD) and deputizing local officers as federal customs agents.
First and foremost, there is no legitimate need for this agreement. HSI, as a division of ICE, already has
full federal authority to operate in Hawaii without local assistance. Embedding their agents within HPD
and cross -designating our officers only serves to blur the line between local policing and federal
immigration enforcement. This raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and
community trust —especially in immigrant communities who are already vulnerable to targeted raids and
surveillance.
Secondly, HPD is already critically understaffed. By our own County's admission, officers are stretched
thin responding to basic caps for service. Adding federal entanglements to their workload is not only
unnecessary, it's irresponsible. It diverts time and energy away from local safety priorities and places
additional strain on an already overburdened department.
But beyond the logistical and ethical concerns ties a deeper truth: this is still the illegally annexed and
occupied Hawaiian Kingdom. If the County of Hawaii is so eager to cooperate with federal agents,
perhaps it should start by helping remove those agents of the illegal occupation. Otherwise, embedding
ICE agents into local departments is not just tone -deaf —it's a bitter joke. It reinforces a colonial system
that continues to deny justice, self-determination, and dignity to the people of Hawaii.
In conclusion, it is important to note that Hawaii Island is currently the only county in the state
considering such an agreement with ICE/HSI. We should not lead the state in building deeper ties with an
agency that has terrorized immigrant communities and acted outside the bounds of compassion and
justice. We should lead with Aloha, accountability, and a commitment to our communities —not federal
overreach.
I VIMM �
Lynda Williams
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