Helena Democratic legislators urge City Commission to pass revised immigration resolution

Eight Helena Democratic state legislators urged the City Commission in a Wednesday letter to pass a revised immigration resolution, saying doing so is a matter of self-governance.

“If passed, it would provide the clear and legal guidance for local coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that many Americans from across the political spectrum are requesting in communities nationwide,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

The letter urged Helena to pass a revised version of its Jan. 26 resolution that recommended city employees not aid in immigration enforcement unless legally required. It was signed by state Sens. Laura Smith, Mary Ann Dunwell and Janet Ellis, as well as state Reps. Mary Caferro, Jill Cohenour, Pete Elverum, Luke Muskiewicz and Melissa Romano — all Democrats serving the Helena area.

City spokesperson Amanda Opitz confirmed Thursday that the Commission had received the letter.

"At this time, the Commission has not met to discuss the matter, and staff have not been directed to bring back the amended resolution for consideration," Opitz said. "As a result, staff do not have additional comment on the letter at this time."

The letter said the state legislators understood the difficult duty of balancing “local needs with state and national concerns.”

The original resolution, though conceived in 2025 after the detainment of a Helena man, was passed during a national crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen accused Helena of breaking a Montana law passed in 2021 that forbids so-called sanctuary cities and alleged the city had acted in a knee-jerk reaction to national politics.

The City Commission rescinded the resolution on March 26, intending to work with Knudsen on a revised resolution but backing down when the AG promised to investigate any further attempts.

Last week, three of five city commissioners confirmed they did not want to pursue another resolution. Most said the fiscal risk was too great for what amounted to a statement of values.

To that, Smith said the resolution represented something bigger than Helena, and that the city had spent more money on less important things. She said she hoped the letter would convince the Commission to overcome their hesitation.

“Show me the budget, and I’ll show you our values,” she said. “There is a cost and a price to self governance and exercising our rights as a community.”

Smith said the letter had been under construction for multiple weeks after hearing outrage from her constituents. Helenans are deeply upset with the rescinded resolution, she said, and the Commission needed to stand by its voters’ values.

As for the AG’s legal allegations against the resolution, Smith said it struck her as bullying and an attempt to undermine local control. She pointed to Gallatin County, which is in a legal battle of its own against Knudsen over immigration-related issues, as an example of a larger trend.

Her reading of the resolution was that it was legally sound and crafted with well-informed attorney input.

The letter echoed her opinions.

“If passage of the resolution was important before, it is particularly important now,” it said. “The City of Helena chose to take the high road in response to the Attorney General’s concern, and we admire this approach. Now, it’s important to follow that road to the end by asserting the right of Montana cities and counties to enact and enforce local policies that comport with state and federal law.”