Ahead of Maui’s mayoral election, community organizations are pressing candidates on how they would better serve immigrant fire survivors in Lahaina. Neither candidate has responded to questions about immigrant community protections or data-sharing policies with federal immigration enforcement.
- About one in three Lahaina residents before the 2023 fire were foreign-born, with large Filipino, Mexican, and Pasifika populations.
- Post-fire recovery efforts frequently fell short for immigrant communities due to missing language translations and lack of culturally competent service providers.
- A December 2024 report by disaster recovery org Tagnawa, based on 750+ surveys, documented unmet needs among Filipino Lahaina fire survivors.
- Nonprofits like Roots Reborn and Kaibigan ng Lahaina have stepped in to fill gaps with translation, grocery assistance, mental health programs, and cultural advocacy.
- Both mayoral candidates have not responded to media inquiries about their plans to protect and support immigrant communities if elected.
Source: Maui News
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