Post by Admin on May 6, 2019 6:22:31 GMT -7
MILE Urges Gov. Bullock to sign Sanctuary Cities Bill
Paul Nachman of MILE (Montanans for Immigration Law Enforcement) in Bozeman writes:
"Representative Ken Holmlund's bill HB 146 cleared the legislature in mid-April and was finally sent to the governor on May 1. You can see how it all happened -- so far! -- here.
It's likely that Gov. Bullock will veto the bill, just as he did a similar bill in 2013 (and Gov. Schweitzer before him in 2011), because the subject has become partisan -- in the legislature, the bill was supported by all Republicans but just one Democrat (Representative Bradley Hamlett).
But sanctuary cities are a real problem nationwide (not yet in Montana), and such a veto -- though foolish -- is only to be expected, since there's every indication Bullock doesn't understand the subject.
Nevertheless, every Montanan receiving this note should send an email to the governor asking him to sign HB 146 so he at least has an inkling that it's an important subject,
The way to get a written message to Bullock is to use this web form. Alternatively, or in addition, you can phone his office: 406-444-3111
I'll paste below the text of the message I sent via that web form. I went on at length (using nearly the maximum allowed 2,000 characters, including blank spaces) because I'm very knowledgeable on the subject and the bill. You needn't get into as much detail if you don't want -- the main thing is to let him know lots of people want the bill to become law.
But if you'd like to raise some substantive points, you might find it helpful to read the written testimony I submitted when I spoke in favor of HB 146 before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 22. That's the first attachment to this email. In that testimony, I referred to a table of convictions for immigration violations in Montana. That table is the second attachment.
Bullock has just a few more days to deal with HB 146 -- it could happen tomorrow (Monday, May 6).
So the time to jump on this and send your message is NOW. Please do it!"
Paul Nachman's comments to Governor Bulluck follow:
The basic responsibility of American governments at all levels is to protect the lives and life prospects of us citizens. This fact is inarguable—it’s why the country exists.
You can help fulfill your responsibility by signing HB146 to strongly discourage Montana towns and counties from declaring themselves illegal-alien sanctuaries. July 2015’s horrific homicide of Kate Steinle by an illegal alien in San Francisco attracted universal attention, but that example was just the tip of the iceberg: Illegal aliens have been creating havoc nationwide for decades.
Every such event is a failure of American governments to protect us citizens from mayhem caused by people who shouldn’t even be here. It’s especially egregious when an illegal alien who’s been in custody is released back to the streets by a sanctuary jurisdiction—instead of being remanded to ICE for removal.
Montana has plenty of illegal aliens. Our U.S. Attorney routinely deals with them: In 2012, I used sentencing reports from that office to get statistics for 2005 – 2011. For those years, 11.3% of the 2,111 uniquely federal crimes were for immigration offenses, mostly for the felony of illegal re-entry after deportation, 8 USC 1326; details upon request.
Gov. Schweitzer and you previously vetoed such bills, saying that there are no such jurisdictions in Montana. But the City of Helena and Butte-Silverbow County have anti-Patriot Act resolutions on their books—passed in December 2004 and February 2005, respectively—that include sanctuary policies. Yes, those aren’t ordinances and don’t have the force of law, but they show that this pernicious idea is abroad in Montana.
The logical approach is to keep such policies—which violate 8 USC 1373—from being enacted, instead of trying to roll them back later, after they’ve generated mayhem. Let’s learn from the bad experiences of other states (not just California … Georgia is a glaring example), where illegal immigration has metastasized: Please sign HB146.
It's likely that Gov. Bullock will veto the bill, just as he did a similar bill in 2013 (and Gov. Schweitzer before him in 2011), because the subject has become partisan -- in the legislature, the bill was supported by all Republicans but just one Democrat (Representative Bradley Hamlett).
But sanctuary cities are a real problem nationwide (not yet in Montana), and such a veto -- though foolish -- is only to be expected, since there's every indication Bullock doesn't understand the subject.
Nevertheless, every Montanan receiving this note should send an email to the governor asking him to sign HB 146 so he at least has an inkling that it's an important subject,
The way to get a written message to Bullock is to use this web form. Alternatively, or in addition, you can phone his office: 406-444-3111
I'll paste below the text of the message I sent via that web form. I went on at length (using nearly the maximum allowed 2,000 characters, including blank spaces) because I'm very knowledgeable on the subject and the bill. You needn't get into as much detail if you don't want -- the main thing is to let him know lots of people want the bill to become law.
But if you'd like to raise some substantive points, you might find it helpful to read the written testimony I submitted when I spoke in favor of HB 146 before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 22. That's the first attachment to this email. In that testimony, I referred to a table of convictions for immigration violations in Montana. That table is the second attachment.
Bullock has just a few more days to deal with HB 146 -- it could happen tomorrow (Monday, May 6).
So the time to jump on this and send your message is NOW. Please do it!"
Paul Nachman's comments to Governor Bulluck follow:
The basic responsibility of American governments at all levels is to protect the lives and life prospects of us citizens. This fact is inarguable—it’s why the country exists.
You can help fulfill your responsibility by signing HB146 to strongly discourage Montana towns and counties from declaring themselves illegal-alien sanctuaries. July 2015’s horrific homicide of Kate Steinle by an illegal alien in San Francisco attracted universal attention, but that example was just the tip of the iceberg: Illegal aliens have been creating havoc nationwide for decades.
Every such event is a failure of American governments to protect us citizens from mayhem caused by people who shouldn’t even be here. It’s especially egregious when an illegal alien who’s been in custody is released back to the streets by a sanctuary jurisdiction—instead of being remanded to ICE for removal.
Montana has plenty of illegal aliens. Our U.S. Attorney routinely deals with them: In 2012, I used sentencing reports from that office to get statistics for 2005 – 2011. For those years, 11.3% of the 2,111 uniquely federal crimes were for immigration offenses, mostly for the felony of illegal re-entry after deportation, 8 USC 1326; details upon request.
Gov. Schweitzer and you previously vetoed such bills, saying that there are no such jurisdictions in Montana. But the City of Helena and Butte-Silverbow County have anti-Patriot Act resolutions on their books—passed in December 2004 and February 2005, respectively—that include sanctuary policies. Yes, those aren’t ordinances and don’t have the force of law, but they show that this pernicious idea is abroad in Montana.
The logical approach is to keep such policies—which violate 8 USC 1373—from being enacted, instead of trying to roll them back later, after they’ve generated mayhem. Let’s learn from the bad experiences of other states (not just California … Georgia is a glaring example), where illegal immigration has metastasized: Please sign HB146.