"We are a nation of laws, and immigration laws will be enforced in Montana," Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) said in a statement as he signed a bill banning sanctuary cities.
Sanctuary cities refer to locations where illegal immigrants are safe from being reported to ICE agents, and therefore protected from being captured or deported. But the Montana bill, passed by the state legislature earlier this year, requires all cities in Montana to comply with federal immigration law and cooperate with ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. The legislation will also permit the state's attorney general to pursue civil action against jurisdictions that don't comply by imposing fines and withholding state grant funds, the Associated Press reports.
Illegal immigration has regressed into a full-on crisis at the border since President Biden took office and reversed President Trump's border policies. He halted construction of the border wall, leaving gaping holes wide enough for trucks to drive through, as Sen. James Lankford (R-OH) recently demonstrated. Holding facilities forced to reopen are overwhelmed with unaccompanied minors. One facility only intended to hold 250 people is housing over 4,000, the Associated Press reported.
Julio has been on the ground covering the crisis for us, and several migrants admitted to him that they felt compelled to try and cross over because of the new president and his relaxed policies. In his first press conference, Biden outrageously said that he was "flattered" migrants are trying to enter the country because he's a "nice guy."
Biden has not visited the border yet, and has handed the problem off to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has previously compared ICE to the KKK.
