BFED-4 Bill 92, CD1 (2025) BILL 92, CD1 (2025), AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FOR A JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE (BFED-4)
I am writing to you today not just as a resident, but as someone who cares deeply about the heart and soul of our Maui community. I am asking you to vote NO on Bill 92, CD1.
Our community has been through so much trauma recently. What we need most right now is to feel safe, heard, and protected by those we know and trust. I am concerned that this bill does the opposite for the following reasons:
The Weaponization of Labels: We are living in a time where the term 'terrorist' is increasingly used by the federal government to label anyone they disagree with—often without a shred of evidence. By formalizing this task force, we are opening the door for our own neighbors, activists, and concerned citizens to be targeted simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.
The Death of Free Speech: When people see the FBI's 'Terrorism Task Force' embedded in local policing, they don't feel safer—they feel watched. This creates a 'chilling effect' where residents will be too afraid to speak out on local issues, attend protests, or criticize government policy for fear of being flagged by a federal agency. A community that is afraid to speak is not a free community.
Keeping Our Ohana Local: Our police officers are our neighbors. They understand Maui’s unique culture. This bill effectively hands over their supervision to federal authorities whose priorities may not align with our island’s needs. We need our officers here, working for us and with us, not answering to a distant federal mandate.
I ask you to consider how history will judge this moment. Years from now, when the people of Maui look back at this chapter of our recovery, will they see a Council that stood as a shield for its residents' privacy and freedom of speech? Or will they see a leadership that voluntarily invited federal overreach into our community during our most vulnerable hour?
Please, do not let your legacy be one of compromising the trust and constitutional rights of the people you were elected to protect. I urge you to prioritize our freedom and vote NO on Bill 92, CD1.
I strongly oppose Bill 92 (BFED-4 Bill 92, CD1 (2025)) in agreement with Councilmember YUKI LEI SUGIMURA per her communication to Chair, Hon. Tamara Paltin dated 1/28/2026 when she stated, "I am supportive of disapproving Bill 92 and will be making that recommendation moving forward."
I have reviewed all the documentation available for Bill 92,
“A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FOR A JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE”
on this site (https://mauicounty.granicusideas.com/meetings/2336-budget-finance-and-economic-development-committee-2025-2027-on-2026-02-10-9-00-am/agenda_items/6983f93f7d7965858e0011c7-bfed-4-bill-92-cd1-2025-bill-92-cd1-2025-au)
I oppose any agreements proposed under the "Presidential Authority" of a 34 (corrected) times convicted felon who should never have been given any such authority.
I support the Maui County Council and the Maui 'ohana in all efforts to resist fascism in all its forms.
Thank you for your very kind attention,
Joseph Kohn MD
493 Pio Dr Apt 209
Wailuku, HI 96793-2641
808-359-6605
Joseph@WeAreOne.cc
www.WeAreOne.cc
Hale o nā Luna Maka‘āinana HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
From: Representative Terez Amato HD 11, Committee Member Health HLT,
Human Services and Homelessness (HSH), VC Higher Education (HED), Education (EDN)
To: Maui County Council
Re: Please do not ratify Bill 92.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aloha Esteemed Colleagues Date: 2-9-26
Please do not ratify Bill 92.
This is not a normal JTTF agreement. The Tenth Amendment of the US Constitutions reserves general police powers to the states. Furthermore, Article VIII, Section 6 of the Hawai’i Constitution reserves ultimate authority over matters of statewide concern to the state legislature, affirming that the state holds the ultimate police power over local governments. Do not give up our legislative power to the USA Executive branches.
While the need for safety in Maui is critical, the proposed Joint Terrorism Task Force agreement, if ratified, puts our constituents in danger laying groundwork to potentially violate the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 from Trump labels anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, and “extremism” on migration, race, and gender as a common thread among domestic terrorists - the individuals later listed in the declaration for the JTTF to apprehend. Peaceful 1st amendment protests are not extremism nor is the President’s memo a law or legal definition. It is a threat to free speech just like recent widespread 4th amendment violations and murders of US Citizens.
It is our duty as local government officials to ensure that individuals can peacefully express opinions, without jeopardy for their safety. This is a fundamental tenet of our USA bill of rights and also the Hawaii State Constitution Article I, Section 4, titled "Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and Petition". We must never give up the right of peaceful protest and free speech. Do not cede authority to the federal government without good cause, especially when we see such erratic, unconstitutional and illegal behavior from Trump.
It is not within the best interest of Maui County Council to pass Bill 92 due to the ways in which the JTTF would be implemented. The contract stipulates that all JTTF assigned officers will be under the supervision of the FBI throughout the contract. Do you really trust the FBI will follow our constitution? Minnesota does not. California does not. I do not. Do you?
Passing Bill 92 means handing over your authority to the FBI. The Maui County police force must serve the community through the ideals of the HI and USA Constitution and the Spirit of Aloha. Do not allow our local forces to be commandeered by the federal government. As State and County Elected officials we are the last line of defense. Oppose Bill 92.
With my sincere thanks and appreciation for your work, Mahalo,
State Representative Terez Amato and COGSD Dr. Joe Ritter
Representative Terez Amato
Representing South Maui: House District 11
Kīhei (Kula Kai), Wailea, Makena 808-268-2622 cell
Aloha,
I oppose Bill 92.
I oppose ICE and CBP in our community .
After seeing what they did to the people of Chicago and Minneapolis, I am outraged. The murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti should make it easy for the Maui county council to vote down Bill 92. These were two good people helping to protect their neighbors.
In my opinion, a vote for Bill 92 is a vote of approval for our government to murder or arrest people for speaking out. This is unacceptable in our democracy.
Mahalo for scheduling the meeting for a full council review and vote on the FBI-Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) contract with our Maui Police Department. From the events we have seen on the continent, it certainly appears that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been hiring untrained and aggressive personnel. I find it unfathomable that a human being can be so hateful to treat others with such contempt and disrespect as to pepper spray folks standing up for their neighbors. And then there are the murders. We certainly don’t want that in our community.
It has been quite moving to see the huge number of people, with their handmade signs, showing up to sign wave/protest here on Maui against the current administration and their tactics. Maui and the American public are fed up with the lawlessness, corruption and authoritarianism we are currently living under.
I am hopeful the entire county council will provide a unanimous ruling against the current FBI-JTTF, as well as any other contracts made in the past. We are living through a dangerous era in our nation’s history, and we certainly don’t want the hatred we are witnessing to occur in our own community.
Testimony of Paul Garrett Hugel
Regarding Structural Risks of an MPD–FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Memorandum of Understanding
Zenodo DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18598929
Chair, Vice Chair, and Members of the Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding the governance and legal implications of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Maui Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force.
My comments are based on a published analysis archived under DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18598929.
While federal-state task force cooperation is often presented as a collaborative structure, recent precedent demonstrates that such arrangements can be structurally asymmetric. In January 2026, the FBI revoked a joint investigative framework with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and designated itself sole investigative authority in a matter involving a federal agent. State investigators were excluded from evidence access and investigative materials. This forced state withdrawal from what had been a joint process.
The constitutional foundation for this outcome rests in the Supremacy Clause and long-standing federal preemption doctrine. When federal agents act within federal authority, federal jurisdiction can supersede state investigative control. This means that even when local or state officers are participating in a task force, ultimate control over evidence, classification, and investigative direction may remain exclusively federal.
This creates several structural risks for Maui County governance:
First, cooperation under an MOU does not guarantee continued access to investigative materials. Federal agencies may limit or terminate cooperation unilaterally.
Second, local prosecutors may be restricted from reviewing or independently evaluating evidence collected under federal authority.
Third, County oversight bodies, including legislative or commission review, may be constrained where federal classification or sovereign immunity doctrines apply.
Fourth, deputized local officers operating within federal command structures may function outside traditional local accountability mechanisms.
These are not speculative concerns; they are structural characteristics of federal-state task force design.
The question before the Council is not whether cooperation is possible. It is whether the County has enforceable protections to preserve transparency, prosecutorial independence, and meaningful oversight if federal priorities diverge from local governance interests.
Any decision to enter or renew such an agreement should be accompanied by clear safeguards, reporting requirements, and public accountability mechanisms to mitigate these risks.
For transparency, I note that the published report includes a declaration of generative AI assistance in drafting and formatting. All legal analysis and citations were reviewed and verified by the author.
I respectfully urge the Council to carefully evaluate the structural constraints and constitutional realities involved before authorizing or expanding participation in a federal task force arrangement.
Aloha Council Budget Committee (BFED) Chair Sugimura,
At your meeting today, February 10, I strongly urge you to move on disentangling Maui County's obligations to the Trump administration’s FBI-JTTF. The FBI-JTTF works closely with ICE and is the tip of Trump’s spear to suppress dissenters as “domestic terrorists.” Bill 92 is dangerous for all the people living in Maui County, resident citizens as well as our hard-working immigrant neighbors.
Please shelve and file Bill 92.
Mele Stokesberry
51 Mano Dr., Kula, HI 96790
Aloha Chair and all Council members: and especially Alice Lee, who first introduced this bill; I urge you to table the approval of Bill 92, authorizing Maui County’s participation in the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Please make the decision to remove our police force from any participation: (Maui remains very short of police officers, as often reported, despite excellent repeated recruitment efforts.)
It is important to realize that
this is not a routine law enforcement collaboration being proposed. Under the current national administration, the FBI has expanded the definition of “domestic terrorism” dangerously to include protected political speech, activism, and even beliefs. According to recent investigations, this includes targeting people based on vague allegations such as anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, and seemingly even skin color!
Maui and Hawaii are shining examples of diversity, equity and inclusion!
And our diverse community—including native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Buddhists, Filipinos, Samoans, and other Pacific Islanders—are deeply vulnerable to being unfairly surveilled or targeted under these and other ill- defined categories. Native Hawaiian sovereignty and language advocates and cultural practitioners, who peacefully seek self-determination, risk being targeted. Hawaii’s substantial Buddhist population, often dedicated to nonviolence and social justice, could be stigmatized along with other faith-based and ethnic minority groups. Many other Maui communities, many of whom advocate for immigrant rights and social equity, particularly after the fires, might similarly face unwarranted scrutiny.
Moreover, the Memorandum of Understanding shows that MPD officers assigned to the JTTF become federally deputized, placed under FBI supervision for at least TWO YEARS. —thereby removing local control and accountability and diminished availability for normal duties. This threatens transparency and community trust, and our personal safety, security and well being.
And we cannot spare officers
Primarily, we cannot risk supporting actions against our community members involving unidentified, masked, armed individuals who break the holy tenets of our US Constitution at every turn. We possibly need protection, not cooperation!
The Bill lacks clear privacy protections and oversight mechanisms to safeguard our civil liberties. Are any REAL local threats to our community? If they exist, I have faith that our local authorities can handle them.
I respectfully ask the Council to table Bill 92, insist on provisions maintaining MPD control over deputies, and require robust protections for free speech, religious freedom, and non-discrimination.
Maui’s residents deserve transparency, accountability, and respect for constitutional rights—not participation in a federal policing program built on vague, politically charged definitions of terrorism, especially as it has played out on the mainland with brutality, anonymity, and terrifyingly unlawful and violent actions against American citizens and those on a legitimate path to citizenship.
Alice Lee- I’m sure you didn’t know, when you first introduced this bill, the realities of its execution; that it would mean masked, unidentified, lawless actions by armed thugs, entering schools, terrorizing innocent women and children, and acting with sickening brutality. We DO NOT WANT THIS HERE - nor our local police force participating, except to keep our citizens safe from this lawless brutality we have seen on the mainland.
Mahalo for your time and consideration. Now is the time for strong action: the evidence is clearly now before you.
We citizens and voters are counting on you!
Stephanie Austin
Maui resident since 1973
Hawaii resident since 1957
Voter
Aloha Chair and Councilmembers,
Thank you for the opportunity to send in testimony in opposition to Bill 92, CD1 (2025), which seeks to authorize the County to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for participation in the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
While we all share a commitment to public safety, at this time we trust our local police officers who are our neighbors and friends much more than this regime masquerading as the federal government, and this measure raises serious civil liberties, transparency, and community trust concerns:
1. Local autonomy and civil liberties:
Embedding Maui County’s police force within a federal task force under the FBI potentially subjects local law enforcement activities to federal definitions and priorities that may not align with the needs and rights of our community. There is insufficient clarity about how participation could affect residents’ rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and dissent — especially given recent national debates over terrorism definitions and surveillance activities.
2. Scope and accountability:
The bill does not adequately define the scope of participation, the oversight mechanisms, or safeguards to ensure that County personnel and resources are not diverted from local priorities toward federal mission objectives without meaningful local control or community oversight.
3. Financial and staffing implications:
Although some costs may be covered by federal partners, the County would still commit personnel, salaries, benefits, and training resources. In a time when budgets are constrained and community needs are diverse — from housing to infrastructure to disaster resilience — we must carefully weigh any agreements that could strain local law enforcement capacity or impose long-term obligations.
4. Community trust:
Given the level of public concern on this topic, including calls for broader discussion and reassessment before approval, advancing this measure without fuller community engagement risks eroding public trust in both law enforcement and the legislative process.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Council to defer or oppose Bill 92, CD1 (2025), leave it dead on the floor, and instead pursue avenues that strengthen public safety while preserving civil liberties, clear local control, and community accountability.
Mahalo for your consideration,
Dana Fulton, born and raised on Maui, current full-time Makawao resident
For the same reasons well-articulated by my fellow Maui residents, I STRONGLY oppose this. As a reasonable, prudent elected official, you will recognize the serious danger to our community that this contract brings. Moreover, you recognize the invariable litigation Maui would have to defend against and attendant costs that engagement in such a highly volatile and problematic contract would be placed on us taxpayers.
For the same reasons well-articulated by my fellow Maui residents, I STRONGLY oppose this. As a reasonable, prudent elected official, you will recognize the serious danger to our community that this contract brings. Moreover, you recognize the invariable litigation Maui would have to defend against and attendant costs that engagement in such a highly volatile and problematic contract would be placed on us taxpayers.
Aloha Council Members, and thank you so much for your commitment to helping protect our Maui community from the Trump regime's violent, lawless policies.
The current regime has operated in bad faith at every turn, with no regard for any legal and political norms. There is no way to enter into any contract with this administration or its agencies with the expectation that President Trump or his appointed leadership will operate with the aim to reduce harm and avoid violence. Conversely, they clearly intend to intimidate and terrorize, and to provoke chaos. This administration demonstrates--again and again--overt and unapologetic disdain and disrespect for the rule of law, due process, and the US Constitution. Any contract between our local law enforcement and the FBI JTTF (or any other agency of the Trump regime) jeopardizes the first amendment rights and safety of every person in Maui County. Trump's NSPM-7 defines domestic terrorism widely and loosely, as: “Anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity,” “support for the overthrow of” the federal government, “extremism on migration, race, and gender,” and opposition to “traditional American views on family, religion, and morality" The president even bizarrely imagines that “support for law enforcement and border control” are “foundational American principles” that his political opponents paint as “fascist” to encourage violence. No wonder many in civil society see NSPM-7’s rhetoric as a threat to human rights, civil liberties, and democracy-building work. The language in NSPM-7 should be of particular concern to Hawaiians, many of whom do not consider themselves "American," due to the illegal overthrow of the sovereign Hawaiian nation by businessmen in 1893. Under this definition, "Defend Hawaii" bumper stickers and the reiteration of Haunani Kay Trask's assertion "We are not Americans," could be enough to justify arrest for Domestic Terrorism. I can't stress this enough. We are in danger. The Trump regime has its eyes on Hawai'i Nei. We must do everything we can to insulate Maui County from Trump's authoritarian policies and his ever-growing, nebulous, federal law enforcement--which amounts to his own state police force--a nouveau Gestapo. We see it in Minnesota, in Chicago, in Los Angeles, and we will see and feel it here very soon.
I urge you vote "No" on Bill 92, and to nullify the current MPD-JTTF contract. There is no way to trust this regime will operate in good faith on "revising" or "updating" any agreements. Please just say "NO!" and protect the people who elected you.
Thank you so much. We appreciate your courage and your foresight.
I am writing to you as a concerned citizen to express my opposition to MPD signing into a contract to work with an FBI-JTTF.
I have lived in upcountry Maui since 2008, but I frequently travel back to Chicago, I have seen firsthand the effects of ICE in city streets and think it is imperative to protect the Maui community from this type of enforcement action. I am concerned about the civil rights of our community. I do not think this use of taxpayer money is in alignment with the values of the Maui community.
Hawaii has a strong history of peaceful dissent for many reasons including eater rights and land use. Under federal control, I am worried the right to peacefully protest will be eroded and anyone participating in them a domestic terrorist. I think issues in Hawaii like this or better policed by a local authority instead of Federal.
TO: Maui County Council
FROM: Justin Hughey
DATE: 2-9-26
SUBJECT: STRONGLY OPPOSE Bill 92 (2025) – FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Agreement
Aloha Chair Lee and Members of the Maui County Council,
I am writing as a concerned resident of [Your Town] to voice my strong opposition to Bill 92. While the Maui Police Department (MPD) frame this as a routine partnership for "intelligence sharing," the language of the bill and the underlying JTTF agreement pose a significant risk to the civil liberties of our community and the independence of our local government.
1. Surrender of Local Control and Supervision
Bill 92 authorizes the County to provide personnel and resources to the FBI. While MPD leadership claims they retain supervisory responsibility, the reality of JTTF participation is that local officers are deputized as federal agents. This creates a dangerous "gray area" where our taxpayer-funded officers operate under federal mandates that may conflict with Hawaii's constitutional protections and Maui's community values. We should not be subsidizing federal surveillance with Maui County's limited resources.
2. Threat to Peaceful Dissent and Cultural Activism
The FBI’s definition of "Domestic Terrorism" has historically been weaponized against peaceful activists. On Maui, our history is defined by passionate advocacy for water rights, land use, and indigenous sovereignty.
Bill 92 creates a pipeline where local police are incentivized to flag "ideological markers" for federal review.
Under current federal policies, legitimate protests against development or for environmental protection could be categorized as "extremism."
As the Budget Committee itself noted, there is a grave "concern about the potential effect of federal involvement on constitutional rights."
3. Misplaced Claims of "Liability"
Police Chief Pelletier has stated that “liability exists if we are not part of this task force.” This is a hollow justification. The greater liability lies in the potential for civil rights lawsuits and the erosion of public trust. When local police share data and resources with a federal agency that targets lawful protest, it is the County of Maui that will bear the social and legal consequences when those federal overreaches are challenged in court.
4. Protecting the Spirit of Aloha
We are a community built on ohana and aloha, not on a culture of suspicion. We do not need our local police officers to be the "tip of the spear" for a federal dragnet. Our local resources should be focused on community-based policing, disaster recovery, and the immediate needs of Maui residents—not on expansive, vague federal counterterrorism mandates.
I urge this Council to heed the dissenting voices, including those of labor unions and civil rights groups who have already testified against this measure. Please vote NO on Bill 92.
Mahalo for your time and for protecting our fundamental rights.
My name is Eric Detwiler and I am a resident of Kihei.
I am requesting that you allow your Budget Committee (BFED) to vote to cancel the Maui Police contract with the FBI-JTTF.
The ICE agent killer of Rene Good was an FBI-JTTF team leader. Good, who was shot in the face three times after dropping off her kids at school, has been unjustly labeled a domestic terrorist.
We are days away from watching ICE shoot an unarmed nurse in the back 10 times and calling him a domestic terrorist. That agent has not been identified, suspended or will face charges for that murder.
In light of this, no claims made by ICE and the FBI-JTTF should be accepted as fact.
We are complicit in future deaths if we do not review this contract in full and in public.
I ask you to take four important steps as BFED Chair to lead the BFED Commitee to:
1. Fact-find and recommend a full Council “No Vote” on this contract.
2. Correct many falsehoods BFED put on the earlier Council record such as MPD officers put under the exclusive authority of FBI-JTTF.
3. Investigate County financial collaboration with these forces under his NSPM-7 and other Presidential orders.
I encourage our local government to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. ICE is following United States law — the same law that has been enforced for decades, without the emotional backlash we are witnessing in some places today. We have recently witnessed the disastrous results of unlawful obstruction and interference. There is little to be gained and much to be lost by resistance to law enforcement.
Chair Sugimura please correct the falsehoods put on the Budget Committee record and a recommendation to vote "No" to the full Council.
ask each Councilmember if we can count on their Vote "No" on Bill 92 (FBI-JTTF contract).
Please clarify if the MPD is still acting under an unlawful prior FBI-JTTF contract which they have earlier and informally claimed, and if so, get the Council to affirmatively reject it
Asking for Investigation of County financial collaboration with Trump’s forces under his President Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7) and other Presidential orders.
Please vote NO ON BILL 92 and encourage the council to vote NO TO BILL 92 FBI/ JTTS CONTRACTS
I WISH TO ABOLISH ICE ALTOGETHER IF POSSIBLE, definitely not allow our community to be funded/ collaborate with or by Trump’s administration.
If you have the Authority RECOMMEND TO MPD TO ALSO REJECT ANY COLLABORATION WITH FBI/ICE. PROTECT MAUI CITIZENS
ENCOURAGE MPD to follow Minnesota POLICE CHIEF STATED HIS FORCE WILL STOP ILLEGAL ACTIONS BY ICE! Unmask Ice locally.
I am writing to you today not just as a resident, but as someone who cares deeply about the heart and soul of our Maui community. I am asking you to vote NO on Bill 92, CD1.
Our community has been through so much trauma recently. What we need most right now is to feel safe, heard, and protected by those we know and trust. I am concerned that this bill does the opposite for the following reasons:
The Weaponization of Labels: We are living in a time where the term 'terrorist' is increasingly used by the federal government to label anyone they disagree with—often without a shred of evidence. By formalizing this task force, we are opening the door for our own neighbors, activists, and concerned citizens to be targeted simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.
The Death of Free Speech: When people see the FBI's 'Terrorism Task Force' embedded in local policing, they don't feel safer—they feel watched. This creates a 'chilling effect' where residents will be too afraid to speak out on local issues, attend protests, or criticize government policy for fear of being flagged by a federal agency. A community that is afraid to speak is not a free community.
Keeping Our Ohana Local: Our police officers are our neighbors. They understand Maui’s unique culture. This bill effectively hands over their supervision to federal authorities whose priorities may not align with our island’s needs. We need our officers here, working for us and with us, not answering to a distant federal mandate.
I ask you to consider how history will judge this moment. Years from now, when the people of Maui look back at this chapter of our recovery, will they see a Council that stood as a shield for its residents' privacy and freedom of speech? Or will they see a leadership that voluntarily invited federal overreach into our community during our most vulnerable hour?
Please, do not let your legacy be one of compromising the trust and constitutional rights of the people you were elected to protect. I urge you to prioritize our freedom and vote NO on Bill 92, CD1.
Aloha BFED Committee Members
I strongly oppose Bill 92 (BFED-4 Bill 92, CD1 (2025)) in agreement with Councilmember YUKI LEI SUGIMURA per her communication to Chair, Hon. Tamara Paltin dated 1/28/2026 when she stated, "I am supportive of disapproving Bill 92 and will be making that recommendation moving forward."
I have reviewed all the documentation available for Bill 92,
“A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FOR A JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE”
on this site (https://mauicounty.granicusideas.com/meetings/2336-budget-finance-and-economic-development-committee-2025-2027-on-2026-02-10-9-00-am/agenda_items/6983f93f7d7965858e0011c7-bfed-4-bill-92-cd1-2025-bill-92-cd1-2025-au)
I oppose any agreements proposed under the "Presidential Authority" of a 34 (corrected) times convicted felon who should never have been given any such authority.
I support the Maui County Council and the Maui 'ohana in all efforts to resist fascism in all its forms.
Thank you for your very kind attention,
Joseph Kohn MD
493 Pio Dr Apt 209
Wailuku, HI 96793-2641
808-359-6605
Joseph@WeAreOne.cc
www.WeAreOne.cc
Hale o nā Luna Maka‘āinana HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
From: Representative Terez Amato HD 11, Committee Member Health HLT,
Human Services and Homelessness (HSH), VC Higher Education (HED), Education (EDN)
To: Maui County Council
Re: Please do not ratify Bill 92.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aloha Esteemed Colleagues Date: 2-9-26
Please do not ratify Bill 92.
This is not a normal JTTF agreement. The Tenth Amendment of the US Constitutions reserves general police powers to the states. Furthermore, Article VIII, Section 6 of the Hawai’i Constitution reserves ultimate authority over matters of statewide concern to the state legislature, affirming that the state holds the ultimate police power over local governments. Do not give up our legislative power to the USA Executive branches.
While the need for safety in Maui is critical, the proposed Joint Terrorism Task Force agreement, if ratified, puts our constituents in danger laying groundwork to potentially violate the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 from Trump labels anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, and “extremism” on migration, race, and gender as a common thread among domestic terrorists - the individuals later listed in the declaration for the JTTF to apprehend. Peaceful 1st amendment protests are not extremism nor is the President’s memo a law or legal definition. It is a threat to free speech just like recent widespread 4th amendment violations and murders of US Citizens.
It is our duty as local government officials to ensure that individuals can peacefully express opinions, without jeopardy for their safety. This is a fundamental tenet of our USA bill of rights and also the Hawaii State Constitution Article I, Section 4, titled "Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and Petition". We must never give up the right of peaceful protest and free speech. Do not cede authority to the federal government without good cause, especially when we see such erratic, unconstitutional and illegal behavior from Trump.
It is not within the best interest of Maui County Council to pass Bill 92 due to the ways in which the JTTF would be implemented. The contract stipulates that all JTTF assigned officers will be under the supervision of the FBI throughout the contract. Do you really trust the FBI will follow our constitution? Minnesota does not. California does not. I do not. Do you?
Passing Bill 92 means handing over your authority to the FBI. The Maui County police force must serve the community through the ideals of the HI and USA Constitution and the Spirit of Aloha. Do not allow our local forces to be commandeered by the federal government. As State and County Elected officials we are the last line of defense. Oppose Bill 92.
With my sincere thanks and appreciation for your work, Mahalo,
State Representative Terez Amato and COGSD Dr. Joe Ritter
Representative Terez Amato
Representing South Maui: House District 11
Kīhei (Kula Kai), Wailea, Makena 808-268-2622 cell
Aloha,
I oppose Bill 92.
I oppose ICE and CBP in our community .
After seeing what they did to the people of Chicago and Minneapolis, I am outraged. The murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti should make it easy for the Maui county council to vote down Bill 92. These were two good people helping to protect their neighbors.
In my opinion, a vote for Bill 92 is a vote of approval for our government to murder or arrest people for speaking out. This is unacceptable in our democracy.
Please, vote against Bill 92.
Mahalo,
Deborah Cohn
Kihei
Aloha Maui County Council,
Mahalo for scheduling the meeting for a full council review and vote on the FBI-Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) contract with our Maui Police Department. From the events we have seen on the continent, it certainly appears that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been hiring untrained and aggressive personnel. I find it unfathomable that a human being can be so hateful to treat others with such contempt and disrespect as to pepper spray folks standing up for their neighbors. And then there are the murders. We certainly don’t want that in our community.
It has been quite moving to see the huge number of people, with their handmade signs, showing up to sign wave/protest here on Maui against the current administration and their tactics. Maui and the American public are fed up with the lawlessness, corruption and authoritarianism we are currently living under.
I am hopeful the entire county council will provide a unanimous ruling against the current FBI-JTTF, as well as any other contracts made in the past. We are living through a dangerous era in our nation’s history, and we certainly don’t want the hatred we are witnessing to occur in our own community.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email.
Eileen McKee
Kihei
Sent from my iPad
Testimony of Paul Garrett Hugel
Regarding Structural Risks of an MPD–FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Memorandum of Understanding
Zenodo DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18598929
Chair, Vice Chair, and Members of the Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding the governance and legal implications of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Maui Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force.
My comments are based on a published analysis archived under DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18598929.
While federal-state task force cooperation is often presented as a collaborative structure, recent precedent demonstrates that such arrangements can be structurally asymmetric. In January 2026, the FBI revoked a joint investigative framework with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and designated itself sole investigative authority in a matter involving a federal agent. State investigators were excluded from evidence access and investigative materials. This forced state withdrawal from what had been a joint process.
The constitutional foundation for this outcome rests in the Supremacy Clause and long-standing federal preemption doctrine. When federal agents act within federal authority, federal jurisdiction can supersede state investigative control. This means that even when local or state officers are participating in a task force, ultimate control over evidence, classification, and investigative direction may remain exclusively federal.
This creates several structural risks for Maui County governance:
First, cooperation under an MOU does not guarantee continued access to investigative materials. Federal agencies may limit or terminate cooperation unilaterally.
Second, local prosecutors may be restricted from reviewing or independently evaluating evidence collected under federal authority.
Third, County oversight bodies, including legislative or commission review, may be constrained where federal classification or sovereign immunity doctrines apply.
Fourth, deputized local officers operating within federal command structures may function outside traditional local accountability mechanisms.
These are not speculative concerns; they are structural characteristics of federal-state task force design.
The question before the Council is not whether cooperation is possible. It is whether the County has enforceable protections to preserve transparency, prosecutorial independence, and meaningful oversight if federal priorities diverge from local governance interests.
Any decision to enter or renew such an agreement should be accompanied by clear safeguards, reporting requirements, and public accountability mechanisms to mitigate these risks.
For transparency, I note that the published report includes a declaration of generative AI assistance in drafting and formatting. All legal analysis and citations were reviewed and verified by the author.
I respectfully urge the Council to carefully evaluate the structural constraints and constitutional realities involved before authorizing or expanding participation in a federal task force arrangement.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Aloha Council Budget Committee (BFED) Chair Sugimura,
At your meeting today, February 10, I strongly urge you to move on disentangling Maui County's obligations to the Trump administration’s FBI-JTTF. The FBI-JTTF works closely with ICE and is the tip of Trump’s spear to suppress dissenters as “domestic terrorists.” Bill 92 is dangerous for all the people living in Maui County, resident citizens as well as our hard-working immigrant neighbors.
Please shelve and file Bill 92.
Mele Stokesberry
51 Mano Dr., Kula, HI 96790
Aloha Chair and all Council members: and especially Alice Lee, who first introduced this bill; I urge you to table the approval of Bill 92, authorizing Maui County’s participation in the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Please make the decision to remove our police force from any participation: (Maui remains very short of police officers, as often reported, despite excellent repeated recruitment efforts.)
It is important to realize that
this is not a routine law enforcement collaboration being proposed. Under the current national administration, the FBI has expanded the definition of “domestic terrorism” dangerously to include protected political speech, activism, and even beliefs. According to recent investigations, this includes targeting people based on vague allegations such as anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, and seemingly even skin color!
Maui and Hawaii are shining examples of diversity, equity and inclusion!
And our diverse community—including native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Buddhists, Filipinos, Samoans, and other Pacific Islanders—are deeply vulnerable to being unfairly surveilled or targeted under these and other ill- defined categories. Native Hawaiian sovereignty and language advocates and cultural practitioners, who peacefully seek self-determination, risk being targeted. Hawaii’s substantial Buddhist population, often dedicated to nonviolence and social justice, could be stigmatized along with other faith-based and ethnic minority groups. Many other Maui communities, many of whom advocate for immigrant rights and social equity, particularly after the fires, might similarly face unwarranted scrutiny.
Moreover, the Memorandum of Understanding shows that MPD officers assigned to the JTTF become federally deputized, placed under FBI supervision for at least TWO YEARS. —thereby removing local control and accountability and diminished availability for normal duties. This threatens transparency and community trust, and our personal safety, security and well being.
And we cannot spare officers
Primarily, we cannot risk supporting actions against our community members involving unidentified, masked, armed individuals who break the holy tenets of our US Constitution at every turn. We possibly need protection, not cooperation!
The Bill lacks clear privacy protections and oversight mechanisms to safeguard our civil liberties. Are any REAL local threats to our community? If they exist, I have faith that our local authorities can handle them.
I respectfully ask the Council to table Bill 92, insist on provisions maintaining MPD control over deputies, and require robust protections for free speech, religious freedom, and non-discrimination.
Maui’s residents deserve transparency, accountability, and respect for constitutional rights—not participation in a federal policing program built on vague, politically charged definitions of terrorism, especially as it has played out on the mainland with brutality, anonymity, and terrifyingly unlawful and violent actions against American citizens and those on a legitimate path to citizenship.
Alice Lee- I’m sure you didn’t know, when you first introduced this bill, the realities of its execution; that it would mean masked, unidentified, lawless actions by armed thugs, entering schools, terrorizing innocent women and children, and acting with sickening brutality. We DO NOT WANT THIS HERE - nor our local police force participating, except to keep our citizens safe from this lawless brutality we have seen on the mainland.
Mahalo for your time and consideration. Now is the time for strong action: the evidence is clearly now before you.
We citizens and voters are counting on you!
Stephanie Austin
Maui resident since 1973
Hawaii resident since 1957
Voter
Aloha Chair and Councilmembers,
Thank you for the opportunity to send in testimony in opposition to Bill 92, CD1 (2025), which seeks to authorize the County to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for participation in the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
While we all share a commitment to public safety, at this time we trust our local police officers who are our neighbors and friends much more than this regime masquerading as the federal government, and this measure raises serious civil liberties, transparency, and community trust concerns:
1. Local autonomy and civil liberties:
Embedding Maui County’s police force within a federal task force under the FBI potentially subjects local law enforcement activities to federal definitions and priorities that may not align with the needs and rights of our community. There is insufficient clarity about how participation could affect residents’ rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and dissent — especially given recent national debates over terrorism definitions and surveillance activities.
2. Scope and accountability:
The bill does not adequately define the scope of participation, the oversight mechanisms, or safeguards to ensure that County personnel and resources are not diverted from local priorities toward federal mission objectives without meaningful local control or community oversight.
3. Financial and staffing implications:
Although some costs may be covered by federal partners, the County would still commit personnel, salaries, benefits, and training resources. In a time when budgets are constrained and community needs are diverse — from housing to infrastructure to disaster resilience — we must carefully weigh any agreements that could strain local law enforcement capacity or impose long-term obligations.
4. Community trust:
Given the level of public concern on this topic, including calls for broader discussion and reassessment before approval, advancing this measure without fuller community engagement risks eroding public trust in both law enforcement and the legislative process.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Council to defer or oppose Bill 92, CD1 (2025), leave it dead on the floor, and instead pursue avenues that strengthen public safety while preserving civil liberties, clear local control, and community accountability.
Mahalo for your consideration,
Dana Fulton, born and raised on Maui, current full-time Makawao resident
For the same reasons well-articulated by my fellow Maui residents, I STRONGLY oppose this. As a reasonable, prudent elected official, you will recognize the serious danger to our community that this contract brings. Moreover, you recognize the invariable litigation Maui would have to defend against and attendant costs that engagement in such a highly volatile and problematic contract would be placed on us taxpayers.
Please vote NO on Bill 92!
For the same reasons well-articulated by my fellow Maui residents, I STRONGLY oppose this. As a reasonable, prudent elected official, you will recognize the serious danger to our community that this contract brings. Moreover, you recognize the invariable litigation Maui would have to defend against and attendant costs that engagement in such a highly volatile and problematic contract would be placed on us taxpayers.
Please vote NO on Bill 92!
DO NOT LET ICE INTO OUR COMMUNITY
Aloha Council Members, and thank you so much for your commitment to helping protect our Maui community from the Trump regime's violent, lawless policies.
The current regime has operated in bad faith at every turn, with no regard for any legal and political norms. There is no way to enter into any contract with this administration or its agencies with the expectation that President Trump or his appointed leadership will operate with the aim to reduce harm and avoid violence. Conversely, they clearly intend to intimidate and terrorize, and to provoke chaos. This administration demonstrates--again and again--overt and unapologetic disdain and disrespect for the rule of law, due process, and the US Constitution. Any contract between our local law enforcement and the FBI JTTF (or any other agency of the Trump regime) jeopardizes the first amendment rights and safety of every person in Maui County. Trump's NSPM-7 defines domestic terrorism widely and loosely, as: “Anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity,” “support for the overthrow of” the federal government, “extremism on migration, race, and gender,” and opposition to “traditional American views on family, religion, and morality" The president even bizarrely imagines that “support for law enforcement and border control” are “foundational American principles” that his political opponents paint as “fascist” to encourage violence. No wonder many in civil society see NSPM-7’s rhetoric as a threat to human rights, civil liberties, and democracy-building work. The language in NSPM-7 should be of particular concern to Hawaiians, many of whom do not consider themselves "American," due to the illegal overthrow of the sovereign Hawaiian nation by businessmen in 1893. Under this definition, "Defend Hawaii" bumper stickers and the reiteration of Haunani Kay Trask's assertion "We are not Americans," could be enough to justify arrest for Domestic Terrorism. I can't stress this enough. We are in danger. The Trump regime has its eyes on Hawai'i Nei. We must do everything we can to insulate Maui County from Trump's authoritarian policies and his ever-growing, nebulous, federal law enforcement--which amounts to his own state police force--a nouveau Gestapo. We see it in Minnesota, in Chicago, in Los Angeles, and we will see and feel it here very soon.
I urge you vote "No" on Bill 92, and to nullify the current MPD-JTTF contract. There is no way to trust this regime will operate in good faith on "revising" or "updating" any agreements. Please just say "NO!" and protect the people who elected you.
Thank you so much. We appreciate your courage and your foresight.
Marnie Masuda
Lead Organizer, Maui Indivisible
Dear Maui County Council,
I am writing to you as a concerned citizen to express my opposition to MPD signing into a contract to work with an FBI-JTTF.
I have lived in upcountry Maui since 2008, but I frequently travel back to Chicago, I have seen firsthand the effects of ICE in city streets and think it is imperative to protect the Maui community from this type of enforcement action. I am concerned about the civil rights of our community. I do not think this use of taxpayer money is in alignment with the values of the Maui community.
Hawaii has a strong history of peaceful dissent for many reasons including eater rights and land use. Under federal control, I am worried the right to peacefully protest will be eroded and anyone participating in them a domestic terrorist. I think issues in Hawaii like this or better policed by a local authority instead of Federal.
Aloha, Emily Severson
TO: Maui County Council
FROM: Justin Hughey
DATE: 2-9-26
SUBJECT: STRONGLY OPPOSE Bill 92 (2025) – FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Agreement
Aloha Chair Lee and Members of the Maui County Council,
I am writing as a concerned resident of [Your Town] to voice my strong opposition to Bill 92. While the Maui Police Department (MPD) frame this as a routine partnership for "intelligence sharing," the language of the bill and the underlying JTTF agreement pose a significant risk to the civil liberties of our community and the independence of our local government.
1. Surrender of Local Control and Supervision
Bill 92 authorizes the County to provide personnel and resources to the FBI. While MPD leadership claims they retain supervisory responsibility, the reality of JTTF participation is that local officers are deputized as federal agents. This creates a dangerous "gray area" where our taxpayer-funded officers operate under federal mandates that may conflict with Hawaii's constitutional protections and Maui's community values. We should not be subsidizing federal surveillance with Maui County's limited resources.
2. Threat to Peaceful Dissent and Cultural Activism
The FBI’s definition of "Domestic Terrorism" has historically been weaponized against peaceful activists. On Maui, our history is defined by passionate advocacy for water rights, land use, and indigenous sovereignty.
Bill 92 creates a pipeline where local police are incentivized to flag "ideological markers" for federal review.
Under current federal policies, legitimate protests against development or for environmental protection could be categorized as "extremism."
As the Budget Committee itself noted, there is a grave "concern about the potential effect of federal involvement on constitutional rights."
3. Misplaced Claims of "Liability"
Police Chief Pelletier has stated that “liability exists if we are not part of this task force.” This is a hollow justification. The greater liability lies in the potential for civil rights lawsuits and the erosion of public trust. When local police share data and resources with a federal agency that targets lawful protest, it is the County of Maui that will bear the social and legal consequences when those federal overreaches are challenged in court.
4. Protecting the Spirit of Aloha
We are a community built on ohana and aloha, not on a culture of suspicion. We do not need our local police officers to be the "tip of the spear" for a federal dragnet. Our local resources should be focused on community-based policing, disaster recovery, and the immediate needs of Maui residents—not on expansive, vague federal counterterrorism mandates.
I urge this Council to heed the dissenting voices, including those of labor unions and civil rights groups who have already testified against this measure. Please vote NO on Bill 92.
Mahalo for your time and for protecting our fundamental rights.
Sincerely,
Justin Hughey
Aloha Council Budget Committee Chair Sugimura,
My name is Eric Detwiler and I am a resident of Kihei.
I am requesting that you allow your Budget Committee (BFED) to vote to cancel the Maui Police contract with the FBI-JTTF.
The ICE agent killer of Rene Good was an FBI-JTTF team leader. Good, who was shot in the face three times after dropping off her kids at school, has been unjustly labeled a domestic terrorist.
We are days away from watching ICE shoot an unarmed nurse in the back 10 times and calling him a domestic terrorist. That agent has not been identified, suspended or will face charges for that murder.
In light of this, no claims made by ICE and the FBI-JTTF should be accepted as fact.
We are complicit in future deaths if we do not review this contract in full and in public.
I ask you to take four important steps as BFED Chair to lead the BFED Commitee to:
1. Fact-find and recommend a full Council “No Vote” on this contract.
2. Correct many falsehoods BFED put on the earlier Council record such as MPD officers put under the exclusive authority of FBI-JTTF.
3. Investigate County financial collaboration with these forces under his NSPM-7 and other Presidential orders.
Sincerely,
Eric Detwiler
I encourage our local government to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. ICE is following United States law — the same law that has been enforced for decades, without the emotional backlash we are witnessing in some places today. We have recently witnessed the disastrous results of unlawful obstruction and interference. There is little to be gained and much to be lost by resistance to law enforcement.
Chair Sugimura please correct the falsehoods put on the Budget Committee record and a recommendation to vote "No" to the full Council.
ask each Councilmember if we can count on their Vote "No" on Bill 92 (FBI-JTTF contract).
Please clarify if the MPD is still acting under an unlawful prior FBI-JTTF contract which they have earlier and informally claimed, and if so, get the Council to affirmatively reject it
Asking for Investigation of County financial collaboration with Trump’s forces under his President Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7) and other Presidential orders.
Please vote NO ON BILL 92 and encourage the council to vote NO TO BILL 92 FBI/ JTTS CONTRACTS
I WISH TO ABOLISH ICE ALTOGETHER IF POSSIBLE, definitely not allow our community to be funded/ collaborate with or by Trump’s administration.
If you have the Authority RECOMMEND TO MPD TO ALSO REJECT ANY COLLABORATION WITH FBI/ICE. PROTECT MAUI CITIZENS
ENCOURAGE MPD to follow Minnesota POLICE CHIEF STATED HIS FORCE WILL STOP ILLEGAL ACTIONS BY ICE! Unmask Ice locally.