Attend the upcoming Helena City Commission meetings to show your support for your immigrant neighbors! You and your fellow Helenans can show up in support of the proposed “Resolution Memorializing City of Helena Policy When Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions are Present Within City Limits,” especially with amendments and edits to leave fewer loopholes for non-compliance.
Our allies at Montana for Palestine have worked for months on a city resolution that will place reasonable expectations on Helena Police for when they interact with federal law enforcement agents. You can stand with your fellow Helenans and demand that the Commission pass the strongest possible version of this resolution.
Commission Meetings
Upcoming Commission meetings are:
- Monday, January 26, 6-8pm
- Location:
- City-County Building, Room 330
- Online (Zoom): [not yet created by City Commission]
- Agenda and Info: [page not yet created by City Commission]
- Note: Final vote on the resolution is expected at this meeting. Last chance to persuade the Commission to adopt our amendments and the resolution!
- Location:
Meetings can be attended remotely (see the City Commission webpage), but for those who are able to come, we’d love to show our resolve in person!
Draft Resolution
See the December 12, 2025 draft of the resolution
Proposed Amendments
Our recommended changes to the first draft of the resolution “Memorializing City of Helena Policy When Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions are Present Within City Limits”:
- Section 4: Change the language from “Section 4. The Commission supports the policy that the City of Helena Police Department will attempt to request the identification and unmasking of each Department of Homeland Security officer, where appropriate, but will not otherwise interfere with actions of federal officers” to “Section 4. The City Commission opposes the use of masks for federal law enforcement. The Commission supports the policy that the City of Helena Police Department will request the identification and unmasking of each Department of Homeland Security officer but will not otherwise interfere with actions of federal officers.”
- Add a new section (Section 6): “The City will track the number of times the Helena Police Department contacts federal law enforcement and how often the Helena Police Department requests identification/unmasking and publish this on its website and in an annual report to the City Commission.” [Background: This will facilitate an assessment of the effect of federal immigration enforcement on the residents of the City of Helena, similar to that of Section 8 of Resolution No. 19181.]
- Section 3: At the end of this section, include a sentence referencing the Montana state law that prohibits racial profiling (Section 44-2-117, MCA). “Consistent with Section 44-2-117, MCA, Helena prohibits racial profiling and has a policy requiring documentation of each stop (race/ethnicity and reason for each stop) to ensure compliance with this policy. Consistent with Section 44-2-117(9), MCA, Helena will report compliance with this statutory prohibition on racial profiling through an annual publication on the City of Helena website and a public report out by the City Manager to the City Commission.” [Background: This law specifies that “(1) a peace office may not engage in racial profiling” and that “(4) (a) Each municipal, county, consolidated local government, and state law enforcement agency shall adopt a detailed written policy that clearly defines the elements constituting racial profiling. Each agency’s policy must prohibit racial profiling, require that all stops are lawful under 46-5-401, and require that all stops are documented according to subsection (3) of this section.”]