Helena City Police will no longer be prevented from working with federal immigration enforcement.
The Helena City Commission last week voted to rescind the restriction after legal threats from Montana’s attorney general.
Two months ago, Helena city commissioners passed a resolution that would prohibit local police from working with federal immigration officials.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen threatened legal action, arguing the city’s policy violated a state law banning “sanctuary cities.”
During a special meeting, the commission heard from outside legal counsel that it could face a $5,000 penalty every five days if it’s found in violation of state law. Those fines could also be retroactively applied.
Millions of dollars in state funding could also be at risk, according to Missoula Attorney Natasha Jones, who is advising the city.
Jones said the city could take the fight to court, but that could take years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“This is extremely burdensome in such a way that testing your rights comes at a very high cost,” Jones said.
The commission voted 4-1 to rescind the resolution and to ask the AG’s office to engage in talks about how it could be rewritten to comply with state law.
AG Knudsen applauded the rescission in a statement but did not comment on whether his office would engage in talks with the city.
