Hawaii is haven for everyone, lawmakers say

Hawaii’s congressional delegation and other local lawmakers came together Thursday to proclaim the state is a safe place for everyone.

The state’s leaders signed a call to action and petition put out by the Democratic Party of Hawaii in response to campaign promises made by President Donald Trump and his executive actions tightening immigration controls earlier this week. The letter called the “Haven of Aloha” said Hawaii welcomes everyone and will protect the groups recently targeted by the Trump administration.

“Hawaii is, and must always be, a place of opportunity and justice for all people — not one predicated on how you look, what language you speak, or who you love,” the letter said. “We will continue to respect and welcome immigrants, refugees, and people of all religions, races and sexual identities, as we work for the betterment of mankind.”

Hawaii congressional delegation — Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — signed the letter. Joseph Souki, speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives, and Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English also signed, the Democratic Party of Hawaii said.

Tim Vandeveer, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, said the letter will be put out to the party’s membership and the community at large in the form of a petition.

Six days after he was sworn into office, Trump signed an order to jump-start construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. He also ordered cuts in federal grants for immigrant-protecting “sanctuary cities” and a boost in the number of Border Patrol agents and immigration officers, pending congressional funding.

Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to the U.S. and indefinitely bar those fleeing war-torn Syria. The president’s upcoming order is also expected to suspend issuing visas for people from several predominantly Muslim countries for at least 30 days, according to a draft executive order obtained by the Associated Press.

Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities — locales that don’t cooperate with immigration authorities — could cost individual jurisdictions millions of dollars. But the administration may face legal challenges, given that some federal courts have found that cities or counties cannot hold immigrants beyond their jail terms or deny them bond based only on a request from immigration authorities.

The president also moved to restart the “Secure Communities” program, which was touted as a way for immigration authorities to quickly and easily identify people in the country illegally.

____

The Associated Press contributed to this story.