For decades America’s leaders have been in denial about the serious threat an open U.S.-Mexico border presented. When Congress last passed a comprehensive immigration law in 1986, one amendment would have required the border to be secured – it denied amnesty to migrants then unlawfully in our country until that border was certified to be secure. The U.S. House would not even allow it to be voted on.
Since then, it has been estimated that between 20 and 40 million immigrants have unlawfully entered the U.S. just across that border. Sadly, too many elected officials from both parties have equivocated on the need for border security – consequently it remains unsecured.
Rep. Ryan Zinke is an exception who made it clear from day one that the border is a priority. In June of 2023, Zinke voted in favor of The Secure Border Act (H.R. 2) and stated, “Montanans – know that border is a mess … It is time to secure our border.” Zinke, a former Navy Seal, knows something about security. That bill mandated an end to the Biden Administration’s catch-and-release policies and passed the House but was not allowed a vote in the Senate.
In May of 2024, a group of migrants contacted the Flathead County Sherriff’s Office seeking overnight accommodations. Like others of the then estimated 7.3 million who’d crossed since President Biden’s policies were imposed, these migrants were given a plane ticket to New York and then to Kalispell. Again Rep. Zinke did not mince words: “The only way an illegal immigrant from South America ends up in Montana is if a nonprofit connected with the Biden Administration moves them there … Montana law enforcement, schools and safety nets are being stressed to the max … It’s a national security risk … and needs to end now.”
Cities across Montana are now facing cartel-level drug trafficking, sex trafficking and increased rates of felony-level crimes. Montana needs leaders willing to call it like it is and act to secure our borders. Thank you, Congressman Zinke, for your unequivocal leadership.
Roger Fleming
Bozeman