By Dorothy Moon
Last week, a viral video showed buses dropping off large crowds of people in the Treasure Valley. They clearly were not tourists, and witnesses said they were given food cards upon arrival. My phone has been ringing nonstop as concerned Idahoans demand answers. Were these illegal immigrants? Refugees? Guest workers?
We do not know, and that is the problem.
It is easy to close our eyes and pretend that the border crisis does not affect us here. After all, even at its closest point the southern border is more than 600 miles away. Yet there are buses, there are airplanes, and there is a federal government that is not just allowing an invasion, they are facilitating it.
We know that the federal government is working with non-governmental agencies and charity organizations to ferry illegal migrants from the border to destinations throughout our country. The McClure Center reported just a few months ago that there were at least 35,000 illegal aliens working in Idaho.
How many are here that are not working? How many are technically “refugees”, a term that has been abused by the Biden Administration to avoid having to enforce our existing border laws?
We just do not know, and it is time we got some answers.
At the end of the legislative session, the House passed a bill allowing our state’s law enforcement to enforce immigration laws for illegals who commit other crimes. Unfortunately, the Senate committee did not hear the bill. This should be a top priority in the next session. How many Laken Riley’s must lose their lives to criminal aliens before we say enough is enough?
The same Senate committee also declined to hear a bill that would allow Idaho to create an interstate compact with other states like Texas. This would have enabled us to pool resources and tackle this problem together rather than dismissing it as someone else’s responsibility. It is time to stop passing the buck. Sure, the federal government is supposed to enforce our borders, yet it is not. So, now what?
The buck ultimately stops with our state’s chief executive, Governor Brad Little. I am grateful that our governor stood with Governor Greg Abbott of Texas when he faced down the federal government and I am grateful that we sent law enforcement personnel to the border. More is still required. The people of Idaho are looking for someone to lead on this issue.
I urge the governor to take a strong stand on the migrants being bused into our state. Idahoans deserve to know how many illegals and refugees are entering our communities. The secretive nature of this project only breeds misinformation and mistrust. Let us learn the truth and do what is necessary to protect our great state.
Dorothy Moon was elected to serve as the chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party in July of 2022. Moon served three terms in the Idaho Legislature as State Representative for District 8. Moon’s career in public service has focused on the advancement of individual liberties and reducing the size and scope of government.
