Immigration Memorial Passes Idaho Senate
By Sarah Clendenon • February 21, 2024A proposed joint memorial on immigration has passed the Idaho Senate with overwhelming support.
According to Congress.gov, a legislative joint memorial is,
“A written statement or petition presented to Congress by the legislature of a state or territory that may affect the proceedings of a committee or Congress in general.”
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This idea was sponsored and presented by Senate Majority Leader, Senator Kelly Anthon (R-Burley) and Chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee, Senator Jim Guthrie (R-McCammon). The memorial’s statement of purpose outlines the goals.
SOP SJR102“The Federal government controls immigration, naturalization and entry to the United States. The Federal government has failed to meet its responsibility to secure our Nation, at and within its borders, and has failed to provide a guestworker Visa program that can meet the labor demands of domestic business, particularly as it relates to year-round agriculture, construction, food processing, manufacturing and hospitality industries. This Memorial expresses the desire of Idaho citizens and business that the Federal immigration system be modernized to secure the border, to provide for a legal workforce of guestworkers, to prohibit amnesty for illegal aliens, and asks that Idaho’s delegation become national leaders on this topic.”
The memorial in its entirety is seen here.
Senator Linda Wright-Hartgen tweeted that she and others attended a presentation entitled “The Unauthorized Immigrant Workforce and Idaho’s Economy” the day before the memorial was voted on in the Senate. It was a press conference hosted by the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, and Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.
The talking points used for the presentation included,
Talking Points IACI“What is happening at the border is not reflective of what is happening in Idaho’s unauthorized workforce. The unauthorized workforce in Idaho has been stable for a number of years.”
The entire report from University of Idaho and the McClure Center for Public Policy Research can be found here.
The vote in the Senate in favor of the memorial was 30 in favor, 4 opposed, 1 absent.
ADOPTED – 30-4-1
AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke, Burtenshaw, Cook, Den Hartog, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Hartgen, Herndon, Just, Lakey, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks(Ricks), Ruchti, Schroeder, Semmelroth, Taylor, Toews, Trakel, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Winder, Wintrow
NAYS – Carlson, Foreman, Lenney, Zuiderveld
Absent and excused – Lee
The Idaho Dispatch asked Senator Trakel (R-Caldwell) to provide insight on his aye vote. He responded,
“I voted to affirm our position that we need stronger borders and border control while also not allowing those currently illegally in this country to receive amnesty. The federal government has failed to protect the US border and due to this drugs, sex trafficking, and financial burdens have been placed on US citizens. While I disagree with prioritizing a labor shortage as reason for calling of this resolution and I do not believe this was a strong message, it still is a stand against our current crisis. There is also another memorial coming, HJM008, which is much stronger. I will be supporting this as well. It is time for Idaho to do what Texas is doing as well, we need to take the responsibility of protecting Idahoans due to the gross negligence of the federal government.”
Some were disappointed in the 30 senators who voted in favor of the memorial. Dustin Hurst tweeted in regard to Senator Trakel,
“Sen. Trakel, once thought to be a liberty guy, is supporting the open borders, pro-amnesty resolution in the Idaho Senate.
What a disaster he is.”
Senator Brian Lenney (R-Nampa) was one of the four nay votes. He shared a video on Twitter of his debate against the memorial on the Senate floor.
[WATCH] 👀 brief clip from Senate floor debate today…
RE: Illegal aliens, amnesty & our wide open border…
By allowing illegal aliens to enter, work, and indefinitely stay, we're effectively sidelining American workers in favor of foreign invaders.
This issue becomes more… pic.twitter.com/suJzlqY0l3
— Brian Lenney (@brian_lenney) February 21, 2024
The memorial will now be transmitted to the House of Representatives to be heard in the House State Affairs Committee. If it passes out of committee, it will then go to the House floor for a debate.
Tags: Border Crisis, Border Security, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, Idaho Dairymen's Association, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration, Immigration, McClure Center for Public Policy Research, Senate Joint Memorial, Senator Brian Lenney, Senator Chris Trakel, Senator Jim Guthrie, Senator Kelly Anthon, Senator Linda Wright-Hartgen, SJR102, Undocumented Workers, University of Idaho
End property taxation so we actually are able to own our property.
Agreed
Major corporations have employed these people for years driving down the wages of the legal residents in the U.S.A. while maximizing the money they pocket. Maybe that’s why it’s never been on the list to fix? Best part of all is the amount of suckers and highly educated people talking about the problem and how they will fix it. (must be election time) for the last 50 years. It’s pretty simple, close the boarder, clean house on the U.S. welfare system, force the kiddies out of the basement, and then fix the legal immigration system. That sure was tough to figure out.
You just pointed out that major corporations hire illegal aliens. But then, when you propose a solution to the problem, you don’t include anything about sanctioning those corporations. Why are you letting them off the hook?
Now a law , with teeth, making it illegal ,in Idaho, to shelter or feed anyone illegally in the US.
So how doe that effect the 69,000 that are already here?
“All show, no-go.” Hypocritical. Illegal means illegal…they don’t belong here. The state government is responsible to enforce the law. Send the illegals back from whence they came. Idaho employers of these illegals are basically stating: “Rules for thee, but not for me!”
What a shame that the Freedom Caucus members were split.
Want the illegals gone then make a firm rule about hiring illegals with jail sentences and no welfare for illegals…Problem will correct itself.
Exactly!
Pass HB 615. No taxes for aid to illegal aliens and terrorists.
i see what the open borders unrepublicans did here. their owners will keep paying their bill.
Much of the reason citizens do not want those jobs is it does not feel safe to work in “their” jobs. Have you ever tried working there? I have, and it is intimidating to say the least. They will not speak english, and clearly treat you as if you are stealing their jobs. In ag work, they often hurry in front of you to fill their buckets or trays quickly, leaving you to clean pick an area. There is little to no sanitation, even if the farmer tries to provide a clean toilet and a place to wash hands, as it is quickly stripped of all paper products, and made filthy. The existing rules for not hiring illegals should be enforced. There should not be any public assistance for non-citizens. Renting to illegals should not happen, yet too often does usually to the landlords sorrow. Rent to 2 and it will become 10. Yet, they cannot legally discriminate. And then there is the theft….anything that is not nailed down firmly. And, nobody gets in trouble because nobody knows who they are….names are changed as needed, as they just get new papers…or never had them. Drivers licenses for illegals means cars with no insurance, and often drivers with no skills. It is really a no-brainer. This issue needs to have tough laws, tough consequences to breaking those laws, and no exceptions. Do it legally or not at all. Citizens will eventually adjust, with people either adapting to mechanized farming or young people filling in. It used to be wholesome summer work for most kids.
Good point. I often hear the talking heads say no Americans will take those jobs (as an excuse why we allow law breaking) and I suspected there was a reason for that. Now I know why, because for most of the history of this nation they did take those jobs.
The deliberate selling out of the US and all other western nations is what the devil needs to usher in his antichrist and thereafter the mark of the beast to be able to buy or sell.
The greedy politicians (traitors) who are selling out their states and nations will suffer the consequences when they stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgement. They will regret their cowardice and wickedness.
For the rest of us time is short. It’s time to get born again (John 3:3 KJV) and walk daily with Jesus Christ, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. I recommend to all by starting in the book of John then reading through the New Testament. Seek the Lord while their is time. This current evil world is passing away. You’ll never regret getting saved. Those who don’t will regret it for all eternity in the lake of fire. God bless.
Why are we watering down the terms?? Undocumented immigrant, unauthorized workforce. These are ILLEGAL ALIGNS, criminals that have invaded the borders of this country. They have broken our laws. Stop the sugar coating!