Hawaii Workers Center Marks Sixth Victory Celebration

Advocates celebrated in Kalihi after Oahu voters approved a charter amendment limiting Honolulu police help with federal immigration enforcement.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Civic Engagement

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain civic building facade with a flagpole against a tropical sky, in deep red, cream, and muted green. — Oahu voters approved a charter amendment limiting Honolulu police help with federal immigration enforcement, as the Hawaii Workers Center marked its sixth victory celebration in Kalihi. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Hawaii Workers Center held its sixth annual Victory Celebration in Kalihi on a Friday evening, ten days after the November 2026 election. Oahu voters approved a city charter amendment that allows Honolulu police to assist federal immigration enforcement only when required by statute or court order.

Why it matters

The measure follows a spike in immigration arrests and detentions by ICE over the past year, and advocates cited concern that workers could be profiled and stopped while walking or catching the bus. Hawaii has also enacted a state law banning local law enforcement from being deputized to assist ICE agents.

Official results show Oahu voters approved a city charter amendment in November 2026 by an overwhelming margin, though the exact vote count is not part of the reported figures. The extraction does not detail how Honolulu police will apply the limit in day-to-day enforcement.

The players

Hawaii Workers Center

A Hawaii labor organization that hosted the Victory Celebration in Kalihi and advocates for workers' rights across the islands.

Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights

An advocacy group that works on immigrant rights issues in Hawaii and whose executive director, Liza Ryan-Gill, commented on local law enforcement agreements with ICE.

The details

Hawaii declined to sign agreements that would have deputized local law enforcement to assist ICE agents, according to Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights Executive Director Liza Ryan-Gill. Hawaii Workers Center Executive Director Kami Yamamoto said Oahu has Lao and Thai farmers on the North Shore, illustrating the workforce the policy affects.

Past year: spike in ICE arrests and detentions
November 2026: Democrats gained control of Congress and Oahu voters approved the charter amendment
November 14, 2026: Hawaii Workers Center holds sixth annual Victory Celebration in Kalihi

Political Context

The Oahu charter amendment extends Hawaii's state law banning local deputization for ICE to the Honolulu police department at the city level. Opponents' structural counter-arguments are not detailed in the reporting, leaving the broader policy debate largely one-sided in this account.

Honolulu residents, particularly immigrant workers, may see changes in how local police interact with federal immigration enforcement under the new city charter rule. The reporting indicates the limit applies only when a statute or court order requires assistance, so routine police contact is not described as changing.

The takeaway

Local charter changes can set limits on police cooperation with federal agencies even when state law already restricts it, creating layered protections residents should understand. Watch how the amendment is applied to see whether it changes day-to-day enforcement in Honolulu.