Gov. Bullock's veto of sanctuary cities bill shows he's not promoting safety

In the ongoing controversy about a possible influx of Syrian refugees, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Bullock has been quoted saying that the governor’s “Number One priority is the safety of Montanans,” a highly implausible claim.

Why? Well, in 2013 the governor vetoed H.B. 50, which would have prevented Montana cities from declaring themselves illegal-alien sanctuaries, so one would never guess that protecting Montanans from dangerous foreigners is even a consideration for Bullock, never mind a “priority.”

Meanwhile, Helena and Butte are sanctuary cities. This means that if their cops spot an illegal-alien gangbanger who’s sneaked back in after deportation, they can’t detain him for illegal re-entry (a federal felony) and remand him to the feds. Instead, they must wait for the alien to commit a non-immigration crime before arresting him. There were flagrant cases nationwide of illegal aliens committing such “other crimes” well before 2015’s horrifying murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco.

Cluelessly, Bullock’s veto message (April 5, 2013) claimed that “no jurisdiction in Montana has enacted such a policy.” Plus he ignored the larger point that state actions to discourage illegal aliens from targeting Montana are essential to prevent illegal immigration from becoming the huge problem here that it is in so many other states.

Clearly, awareness and foresight aren’t qualities to associate with Gov. Bullock.

Paul Nachman

Bozeman