Lahaina fire survivor is arrested by ICE
A Lahaina man who lost his home and business in the fatal Lahaina wildfires was arrested by federal agents on the two-year anniversary of the disaster for an alleged violation of U.S. immigration law.
Sergio Haro and his wife and children were among 25 family members living in five different multigenerational homes destroyed during the fires that killed 102 people on Aug. 8, 2023.
“On the morning of August 8, 2025 — the two-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfire tragedy — ICE agents arrested and detained a Lahaina wildfire survivor, Sergio Haro, in front of his children,” read a note on Haro’s GoFundMe page (808ne.ws/4mDqR2Z) from Kara Teng, a friend of the family. “His family has already endured enormous loss. Their homes and businesses were destroyed in the Lahaina fires in 2023, and like so many others, they have spent the last two years rebuilding their lives from the ashes. Even while healing, they continued to pour love into their community — never asking for anything in return.”
The fundraising plea does not make clear Haro’s citizenship or immigration status.
Haro, who came to the U.S. as a minor 20 years ago, is being detained by the U.S. Department of 91直播land Security after he was arrested Aug. 8 for an alleged administrative violation of immigration law.
Haro’s family and attorney would not say where he was arrested or elaborate on the accusation. He does not have a federal or state of 91直播 criminal record, according to a public records search.
Officials with the U.S. Department of 91直播land Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 91直播 did not immediately respond to Honolulu Star-Advertiser requests for information about Haro’s arrest and detention.
“The matter is ongoing and I can’t share details at this time and the family is also not able to share details at the moment,” Haro’s attorney, Kevin J. Block, told the Star-Advertiser.
The U.S. Departments of Justice and 91直播land Security are working to fulfill President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.
As of June 11, federal agents had made 117 administrative arrests this year in 91直播, according to the Deportation Data Project. Information on where they were arrested in 91直播 and for what reason has not been made public.
Haro and his business “Clean 2020’s,” a janitorial service in Lahaina wiped out by the fires, joined a class- action lawsuit Aug. 5 seeking damages.
Haro has been a “valuable member of the 91直播 community for over 20 years.”
“He has no criminal record. He is a devoted husband, loving father of three daughters, and proud grandfather to his infant grandson, all of whom live in 91直播 and have legal status,” Teng wrote.
Haro gathered the Latino community every Sunday for soccer games and taught martial arts to children. If a family could’t pay for the lessons, he would waive the cost.
Haro’s daughter, Stephanie Haro Sevilla, who was born in Mexico and raised in Lahaina, is a Lahainaluna High School graduate who earned her law degree in 2023 from the University of 91直播’s William S. Richardson School of Law.
“Stephanie helped create and manage the statewide immigration detention hotline in Hawai‘i that people can call when their loved one has been taken by ICE. If you have ever called this hotline, you have likely crossed paths with Stephanie and witnessed her dedication and compassion firsthand,” wrote Teng, noting that Stephanie’s “worst fear has come true.”
Haro Sevilla works as a postgraduate fellow and immigrant advocate at the Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic at UH. Before her work as a fellow, she served as a law clerk for Oahu Circuit Court Judge Rowena A. Somerville, where she worked primarily on criminal cases.
Through her supervisor at the clinic, Haro Sevilla declined comment, citing an ongoing immigration proceeding involving her father.
While attending law school in Manoa, Haro Sevilla worked for Pacific Gateway Center as its immigration law clerk and volunteered at The Legal Clinic assisting in immigration matters.
Haro Sevilla researched and wrote about the impact of family separations at the southern border.
Haro Sevilla is a “Dreamer and former DACA recipient, she has long been a passionate advocate for immigrants,” according to her biography posted on the center’s website.
“Even though Stephanie recently became a U.S. citizen, her immigrant roots remain deep within her. Her understanding of the immigrant experience motivates her to pursue a career in public interest law,” reads her biography.
DACA refers to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
On June 15, 2012, the U.S. Secretary of 91直播land Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and are also eligible to request work authorization, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Dreamers refer to a person who came to the U.S. as a minor and lived without official immigration status.
Despite verbal assurances from Trump in December that Dreamers would be left out of his mass deportations, he has slowed the processes allowing them to remain in the U.S.
UCIS will continue to “accept initial requests but will not process initial DACA requests at this time,” according to its website.
“Current grants of DACA and related Employment Authorization Documents remain valid until they expire, unless individually terminated,” reads a notice on the UCIS website.
