Thursday, April 2, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Senate Republicans today called on representatives of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association to correct false public statements made about Senate Bill 1441 and the legislative process surrounding the bill.
“Idahoans deserve an honest debate about immigration policy,” Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon said. “Reasonable people can disagree about whether S1441 is good policy. But they should not make false statements about the process, about my actions, or about my motives.”
Anthon has worked throughout the 2026 session to find Idaho solutions to ongoing illegal immigration problems. After House Bill 659 failed (a measure directing law enforcement to cooperate with ICE through 287(g) agreements) in the Senate State Affairs Committee, Anthon sought input from representatives of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association regarding how a replacement bill might better address concerns raised by sheriffs. He then met with representatives of the Sheriffs’ Association in his office. Following that outreach and meeting, a representative of the Association sent Anthon a March 19 email stating that sheriffs had discussed the matter in their weekly legislative meeting and setting out proposed amendments from the Association’s membership.
Those communications directly contradict subsequent public claims that Anthon “never reached out to the sheriffs.” Recent news coverage has quoted Sheriff Kieran Donahue, who has represented the Idaho Sheriffs Association in legislative committee hearings, making that assertion publicly.
The text of the revised legislation also disproves the claim that only one change was made between House Bill 659 and Senate Bill 1441 — another claim made by Sheriff Donahue in a statement to the Idaho Statesman published on March 26. In fact, S1441 made multiple changes, including removing the requirement to participate in future or successor federal programs, changing “sheriff’s department” to “sheriff’s office,” adding a limitation based on whether necessary resources are reasonably available, creating an opt-out based on written findings by local governing bodies, and revising the public reporting language.
“The new bill I drafted was in response to the Sheriffs’ Association requests,” Anthon said. “It was a good-faith effort to incorporate concerns raised by sheriffs and improve the bill, even though some sheriffs weren’t satisfied with the final product.”
Anthon also expressed concern over personal attacks and unsupported insinuations about his motives. “When public officials disagree, they should do so honestly and professionally,” Anthon said. “Public debate is not served by false claims, innuendo, or attacks on sincerity instead of engagement with the actual language of the bill.”
Idaho law enforcement officers are held to high ethical standards of honesty, professionalism, and freedom from personal animosity or political bias in the exercise of their duties. Idaho Police Officer Standards and Training materials emphasize that officers must be honest and must not allow personal feelings, political beliefs, aspirations, or animosities to influence their conduct.
“This is not about a policy difference,” Anthon said. “It is about expecting truthfulness. If sheriffs oppose S1441, they should say so and explain why. But the public should not be misled about whether consultation with Senate leaders occurred or whether changes were made to assist Idaho sheriffs.”
Anthon, who has a long record of supporting law enforcement, said he remains willing to work with law enforcement and local officials in good faith to address the problems surrounding illegal immigration, but he expects the public record to be corrected.
Contact:
Senator Kelly Anthon, Senate President Pro Tempore
(208) 431-5863 | [email protected]
Senator Ben Toews, Senate Majority Caucus Chair
(208) 332-1322 | [email protected]
About Idaho Senate Republican Caucus
The Senate Republican Caucus is committed to preserving freedom, promoting personal responsibility, and delivering commonsense solutions that reduce regulatory burdens and support Idaho’s small businesses. Visit their website at https://www.idahosenategopcaucus.com/
