DHS: Montana Not Defying Federal Immigration Law
DHS leaves Montana off list of places allegedly ignoring federal immigration law.
Montana was one of 15 states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not include in its list of states and local jurisdictions, allegedly ignoring federal immigration law.
The DHS published a list last week of states and counties throughout the United States that are allegedly obstructing federal immigration law.
This list was published after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April.
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law.
“President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law,” she added.
The DHS said it will send a jurisdiction named on the list a “formal notification of its non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes.”
Furthermore, the DHS stated that it “demands” these jurisdictions review their policies to ensure they align with federal law.
As of Sunday, June 1, the DHS had taken down the list. The federal government faced strong opposition from some of the places that were mentioned on the list.
When asked about this on Fox News, Noem said on Sunday that “some of the cities have pushed back.”
"They think because they don't have one law or another on the books that they don't qualify, but they do qualify. They are giving sanctuary to criminals," she explained.
Noem added that the federal government would continue to use the list to identify “cities and jurisdictions that aren’t honoring law and justice.”
In 2021, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 200 into law, which banned any jurisdiction in Montana from being designated as a sanctuary city.
“We are a nation of laws, and immigration laws will be enforced in Montana. Criminal, illegal aliens who pose public safety threats to our communities have no sanctuary in Montana,” Gianforte told The Daily Caller.
Two years before this, Montana attempted to ban sanctuary cities. The Montana Legislature passed HB 146, but then-Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed the bill.
Although the DHS did not list Montana, some of the places in its neighboring states were called out for allegedly disobeying federal immigration law.
In Idaho, the City of Boise was named, while North Dakota had seven of its counties listed.
Despite being named on the list, both Idaho and North Dakota have laws that ban sanctuary cities. Idaho enacted its law in 2023, while North Dakota followed with its own legislation in April.
Other states not named on the list are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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Zachery Schmidt is the founder of The Montana Chronicles. If you have any tips, please send them to montanachronicles@proton.me.