Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed a bill banning sanctuary cities in the state, though the state does not actually have any sanctuary cities at this time.
“We are a nation of laws, and immigration laws will be enforced in Montana,” Gianforte said in a statement following the bill’s signing.
According to the law, state and local law enforcement must follow federal immigration law and allows the Montana attorney general to take civil action against jurisdictions that break from the law with fines or by withholding grant funds from the state.
“What it gets down to is legal versus illegal,” Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, said on the Senate floor last month, according to the Independent Record. “If you’re here legally, fine. If you’re here illegally, you should be worried.”
“We live in a state that borders Canada,” Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula, said during the debate. “I’m assuming this bill is not about the caravans of Canadians coming over the border. … This is not about political differences. It does nothing to make Montana better.”
Just 12% of Montana’s immigrant population is made up of undocumented immigrants, who number less than 5,000 in the state and account for less than half of one percent of Montana’s total population.
Former Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, vetoed a similar bill in 2019.
During testimony on the bill in January, Rabbi Laurie Franklin spoke out against the bill on behalf of the Montana Association of Rabbis.
“This bill is specifically intended to isolate, intimidate and demonize both documented and undocumented immigrant populations by identifying them as other, unworthy of protection, citizenship and humane treatment,” Franklin said, according to the Montana Free Press.
President Joe Biden’s Justice Department last month indicated its support for sanctuary cities, asking the Supreme Court to dismiss lawsuits related to cities providing information to authorities about the citizenship status of people who are about to be released from custody.
“We’re pleased that despite the Trump administration’s attempts to exact revenge on cities and states through vindictive policies and continued litigation that we were able to work with the Biden administration to dismiss this case in the Supreme Court,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement last month, according to CNN. “We look forward to continuing to work with the administration to ensure state and localities never have to choose between protecting their autonomy and protecting the public’s safety.”
Source: Newmax
