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Home My WebLink About07-07-26 Public Comment - C. Neumann - Request for meeting re_ ICE Activity in our countyFrom:Neumann, Cora To:commission@gallatin.mt.gov; Bozeman City Clerks Department; Alison Sweeney; Jennifer Madgic; Emma Bode;Douglas Fischer; Joey Morrison; zach.brown@gallatin.mt.gov; jennifer.boyer@gallatin.mt.gov;Ryan.finn@gallatin.mt.gov Cc:Pope, Christopher; Flowers, Pat; Seckinger, Joshua; Fire Thunder, Katie; Hayman, Denise; Rosenzweig, Scott; Isaly, Jamie; Edwards, Becky; Griffith, Alanah; Strand, Peter; Kortum, Kelly; Close, Brian; Matthews, Eric; Cora Neumann Office Subject:[EXTERNAL]Re: Request for meeting re: ICE Activity in our county Date:Tuesday, July 7, 2026 11:42:07 AM Attachments:image002.pngGallatin County ICE Activity draft 7.7.2026.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. RESEND: Dear Mayor Morrison, Deputy Mayor Fischer, Commissioners Bode, Madgic, and Sweeney, Chair Brown, and Commissioners Boyer and Finn, Please find attached a letter from the undersigned members of the Montana Legislature representing Gallatin County, regarding the recent federal immigration enforcement actions in our community and requesting a meeting between legislators and commissioners to discuss accountability measures, including an independent investigator. We respectfully ask that this letter be distributed to all members of the Bozeman City Commission and the Gallatin County Commission and entered into the public record. We would welcome the opportunity to meet in the coming weeks in whatever format works best for your bodies, and our offices are glad to coordinate scheduling. Please direct any questions to any of the undersigned, and or scheduling correspondence to Senator Cora Neumann’s team at office@coraneumann.com Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and for your service to our community. Respectfully, Senator Cora Neumann, SD30 Senator Pat Flowers, SD31 Senator Christopher Pope, SD33 Representative Jamie Isaly, HD58 Representative Katie Fire Thunder, HD59 Representative Becky Edwards, HD61 Representative Josh Seckinger, HD62 Representative Peter Strand, HD63 Representative Brian Close, HD65 Representative Eric Matthews, HD66 Copied: Senator Denise Hayman, SD32, Representative Scott Rosenzweig, HD57, Representative Alanah Griffith, HD60, Representative Kelly Kortum, HD64 ------ Senator Cora Neumann SD30 Gallatin-Madison Counties Committees: Judiciary, Agriculture, Public Health M: 406-219-7425 FB and IG: @coraformontana Emails to and from legislators involving legislative business may be subject to publicdisclosure under the Right to Know provision of the Montana Constitution and Title 2,Chapter 6, part 10, MCA. This may include the sender, recipient, content, and attachments. July 6, 2026 Bozeman City Commission Gallatin County Commission Bozeman, Montana Dear Commissioners, We write as members of the Montana Legislature and elected officials serving this community, regarding the federal immigration enforcement actions that took place in our county. The Gallatin County Sheriff confirmed that ICE was operating in the area, and community organizations report that federal agents took over 100 residents from across the Gallatin Valley, with the true number likely higher given the lack of transparency in these operations. Though the operation has ended, its impact has not. Families remain frightened, separated, and in many cases unable to meet basic needs. In the immediate term, we are calling on the Attorney General and the Montana Highway Patrol to help us locate our constituents and account for their status. If the state does not have that information, we expect it to use its full authority to obtain it, including a complete accounting of any state involvement in or coordination with these operations, formal requests to federal agencies for the location and status of every Montanan taken, and legal action if that information is withheld. A significant proportion of those taken were already in legal process in Montana courts, cases that cannot move forward while the state does not know where its own defendants are. These are Montana residents taken from Montana communities. The state has both the authority and the obligation to find them and reconnect them with their families, and we are committed to working with every level of government until that happens. We also request a meeting between legislators and commissioners to discuss how to hold these federal enforcement actions accountable. The centerpiece of our proposal is an independent investigator to document the federal enforcement activity that occurred within our jurisdiction. Residents are entitled to a factual, public accounting of what happened in their community, produced by someone accountable to the public rather than to the agencies involved. We also want to explore the full range of accountability tools available to us, including public records demands, formal reporting requirements for local agencies, litigation where warranted, and coordinated oversight between the city, county, and state. Montana's Constitution demands nothing less. Article II, Section 10 declares privacy "essential to the well-being of a free society." Section 9 guarantees the right to examine the documents and observe the workings of government. Section 11 secures Montanans in their persons, papers, and homes. An independent accounting honors all three. This is not untested ground. In Illinois, an independent Accountability Commission documented federal agent misconduct in a public report and referred agents to law enforcement for investigation and possible prosecution. In Hennepin County, Minnesota, the County Attorney opened independent investigations into federal officers' conduct, gathered evidence through public tip portals, and went to court to compel the release of withheld evidence. An independent investigation does not obstruct federal operations. It creates a transparent, credible record and shows residents that their local government takes their safety and constitutional rights seriously. We request this meeting in the coming weeks, in whatever format works for your bodies, whether a work session, joint discussion, or smaller conversation among interested members. Our residents are watching. We are confident we can meet this moment together. Respectfully, Senator Cora Neumann, SD30 Senator Pat Flowers, SD31 Senator Christopher Pope, SD33 Representative Jamie Isaly, HD58 Representative Katie Fire Thunder, HD59 Representative Becky Edwards, HD61 Representative Josh Seckinger, HD62 Representative Peter Strand, HD63 Representative Brian Close, HD65 Representative Eric Matthews, HD66 Copied: Senator Denise Hayman, SD32, Representative Scott Rosenzweig, HD57, Representative Alanah Griffith, HD60, Representative Kelly Kortum, HD64