Free Red Cards ease immigration concerns on Oahu

Some Hawai'i residents are on edge about immigration after a video last week showed ICE officers in Kaka’ako. To ease these concerns
By Kimber Collins
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Video taken last week shows ICE officers in uniform along south street in Kaka’ako.
The scene, like many others across the country, has some Hawai’i residents on edge.
Megahn Chun, owner of Mercado De La Raza on Beretania Street, said they ordered “red cards” with the help of a group in Lahaina and an immigration lawyer last year anticipating action by President Trump.
The store is giving them away for free.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there of what you can and cannot do, where you should or should not go, what your rights are and what they aren’t,” Chun said. “So we wanted to have this as a resource to make it very clear for people to protect themselves.”
The cards list constitutional rights in both English and Spanish and are meant to be used in an ICE situation.
“You carry it around and you just take a deep breath, and say ‘I’ll just be calm I’m going to stick to this [the card]. Don’t go outside of this, just stick to this,’” Chun said.
According to a 2018 study, most undocumented immigrants come to Hawai’i from the Philippines.
While the executive order issued by President Trump orders Homeland security to deport undocumented immigrants suspected of crimes, the agency has said they are deporting on a case by case basis.
“We make a discretionary call on every call that we arrest whether that’s a criminal or not a criminal. But we’re going to take enforcement action on every individual,” said Garrett Ripa, ICE Field Director.
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