State top cop moves to crush alleged DHS records restriction as county denies ICE-out

By Fox News · Fox News

FIRST ON FOX : Montana ’s attorney general is demanding a county reverse a policy the state's top cop denies Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to criminal justice data, warning the position is unlawful and undermines coordination with federal law enforcement, as a top local official pushed back. Montana banned sanctuary cities under Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte's pen in 2021, and that policy also allows Attorney General Austin Knudsen to enforce compliance and investigate alleged aberrations under threat of civil action against any such state agency or local or county government. Knudsen notified Gallatin County — anchored by the city of Bozeman — that its policy stance is "legally incorrect" and that Big Sky Country is not Big Sur. "Let me be clear: Montana is not California. This state does not embrace policies that isolate law enforcement partners or undermine the enforcement of duly enacted federal law," Knudsen will write to Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell. SHERIFFS PLOT ICE COOPERATION 'WORKAROUNDS' AFTER NEW MARYLAND LAW BANS COOPERATION WITH IMMIGRATION OFFICERS When asked about claims her county does not recognize ICE as a criminal justice agency qualified to receive confidential criminal justice information (CCJI), Cromwell said such a claim is not accurate. When presented with the text of an email sent from her aide to county law enforcement stating the Gallatin County Attorney's Office does "not legally recognize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a law enforcement agency entitled to receive Confidential Criminal Justice Information (CCJI)," Cromwell's office responded several hours later with a lengthy release stating in part that "there is no blanket policy in Gallatin County prohibiting cooperation with ICE or any federal agency, nor is there a policy restricting the sharing of information." "The County Commission, not the County Attorney’s Office, is the only governing body with the authority to establish county policy,…