HB 1247 Summary

• Establishes the "Ho'okipa Welcoming Policy Act" prohibiting Hawaii law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal immigration law or complying with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detainer requests unless accompanied by a judicial warrant.

• Prohibits law enforcement from stopping, questioning, or arresting individuals based solely on immigration or citizenship status, and from inquiring about immigration status except when necessary to investigate criminal activity.

• Permits limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities only for individuals convicted of felonies, those with specific prior misdemeanor convictions, those arrested for felonies with probable cause findings, those engaged in terrorist activity, or registered sex offenders under chapter 846E.

• Requires law enforcement to provide copies of immigration requests to affected individuals, notify them whether the agency will comply, and apply the same release and bail procedures regardless of immigration status.

• Mandates semi-annual reporting to the state attorney general on all ICE and CBP requests received, with personally identifiable information redacted, to be made public on the attorney general's website.