The fingers of a new, overtly aggressive and legally tenuous federal initiative to rid America of so-called bad-actor immigrants — and, it seems, many law-abiding migrants — reached the shores of Hawaii in full force last year. That prompted a great deal of fear and consternation not only for th ose without legal status, but also residents formerly well-protected under traditional immigration law. A high-profile raid on Maui and enforcement operations throughout the state came as the nation grappled with general havoc caused largely by extrajudicial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. It was a time to act, and the Legislature rightly did just that. ...read more read less