Bozeman Daily Chronicle
By Whitney Bermes
June 08, 2018
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions focused on immigration and border security in a speech before a group of Montana law enforcement officers in Bozeman on Thursday afternoon.
“It is no surprise that people want to come here. But they must do so properly. They must follow our laws or not come here at all,” Sessions said while appearing at the Montana Police Protective Association’s convention at the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn.
Sessions’ speech, in front of dozens of law enforcement officers from across Montana, came the same day as House Republican moderates announced a tentative deal with conservatives to help young “Dreamer” immigrants stay in the U.S. legally, the Associated Press reported.
Pointing to increased drug crimes, Sessions asserted that stronger borders and immigration laws are needed to help law enforcement across the country.
“Policing has always been dangerous work. But unchecked illegal immigration has made the work of police officers all across America tougher and more dangerous than it ought to be,” he said. “Our porous southern border puts you and your brothers and sisters in uniform at risk.”
Dangerous drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl are coming across the border at an increasing rate, Sessions said. He cited statistics from the Montana Department of Justice that showed meth violations increasing 400 percent between 2010 and 2015.
“Any rational person that takes a look at this situation sees the need to secure the border and end the lawlessness,” he said.
Sessions took aim at “open border radicals,” some whom he said appear politically moderate but who support open border policies.
“There is an open borders movement afoot in this country. There is no other way to describe it,” Sessions said.
And Congressional attempts at immigration reform are “blocked at every turn,” Sessions said.
Sessions slammed media reports of the government losing thousands of children of illegal immigrants. “The reports have been so wrong that some people might even call it fake news,” Sessions said.
The Department of Justice’s goal is to prosecute 100 percent of illegal entries into the U.S. from the southern border, regardless if there are children involved, Sessions said.
“You don’t get immunity if you bring a child with you,” he said.
But children separated from their incarcerated parents are “well cared for” by the Department of Health and Human Services, Sessions said. “In fact, they get better care than a lot of American kids do, all at taxpayer expense.”
Unaccompanied kids receive food, education in their language, health and dental care, and are taken anywhere they want, Sessions claimed.
The only way to ensure that children aren’t separated from their families, however, is for people to stop crossing the border illegally with their kids, Sessions said.
“Apply to enter lawfully. Wait your turn,” he said. “My duty is to enforce the laws of this country and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Sessions also lobbied for stricter vetting of immigrants, saying only those with a “crime rate of zero” should be accepted into the U.S.
“We are under no obligation to accept a single criminal into this country,” he said.
And Sessions voiced his and Trump’s support of law enforcement, saying the president’s first order to Sessions when he was affirmed was to “back the blue.”
“We are with you,” he said before ending his speech and getting swept away by security to a motorcade awaiting outside the hotel.
Kurt Alme, U.S. Attorney for Montana, introduced Sessions Thursday, praising him for adding two new assistant U.S. attorneys to Montana’s district, prosecutors that Alme said will help reduce violent crime in Montana.
“More than understanding of our issues, the attorney general has been very supportive,” Alme told the crowd.
Outside, a group of protesters stood at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Oak Street near the hotel while Sessions spoke, holding signs with phrases like “Zero tolerance for Sessions” and “Mr. Sessions have a heart.”
Aaron Hjelt of Bozeman was one of those protesters, saying he wanted to speak out about the Trump administration, which he said “is incredibly lacking in compassion.”
“I don’t think it’s what our country needs right now,” he said.
Thursday’s appearance in Bozeman was Sessions’ second trip to Montana this spring. He visited Billings in April where he spoke to officials about reducing crime and drug trafficking.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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