Idaho’s Illegal Immigration, Open Borders, Related Crimes & Security. What Can WE Do?
Do we have a border crisis in Idaho? Possibly! So what can Idaho Sheriffs, ordinary citizens, lawmakers and courts do about it? 🆕Updated as needed. Last update 10/27/24.
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Idaho’s Illegal Immigration, Open Borders, Related Crimes & Security. What can WE do?
Article at a Glance
Immigration Laws and Courts Tie the Hands of Idaho Sheriffs and LEOs
Resources
For Citizens: Urge Elected Officials Not to Fund Illegal Immigrants (sample cover letter and templates for city & county officials)
State Efforts (selected)
Introduction
Article 4, Section 4 of the United States Constitution: The Federal Government shall protect each state against invasion. The Constitution also gives the States the right to defend their borders in an invasion.
The open borders plan is not going well for American cities and citizens, leaving the country open to terrorism, widespread violence, bankruptcy, drug and human trafficking, and poverty for all. The “historic crisis” was artificially created. We have laws. We had strong border policies in place. The current administration has lit them on fire, and all of America — and many of the illegal migrants — are paying an immense price. Ask your legislators to propose and support good bills!
Little to nothing is being done by Idaho or Federal authorities. The border remains wide open with no help — and only opposition — from the Federal government, whose job is to protect the US from invasion. Moreover, many Idaho farmers and legislators continue to defend cheap illegal immigrant labor and workers paid under the table.
Acknowledgement
We gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance of Doug Traubel, Constitution Party candidate for Ada County Sheriff. He provided source material along with essential legal, and evidentiary perspectives needed for a rational discussion about combatting the very real problem of illegal immigration in the United States and Idaho. He also reviewed this article for accuracy and allowed us to plagiarize many of his words and thoughts. Thank you, Doug!
Literary Note…
We are using male pronouns throughout this article for convenience and to avoid awkward sentence structure. Women absolutely can and do serve as Sheriffs and Sheriff deputies.
Do We Have an Illegal Immigration Problem in Idaho?
This article was inspired by a reader who shared the following 17 second video on X and asked “What can a Sheriff do about illegal immigrants being dumped in Idaho?”
The caption to this video stated “3 busloads of illegal invaders dropped off in Boise within 15 minutes. This is Idaho, not El Paso.”
🆕 06/02/24: A longer video (4 min 31 sec) shows the protest rally held on Sunday May 26 2024 at Fairview and Eagle in Meridian, ID. Details in the video description.
Seeking more input and careful analysis, we consulted Doug Traubel regarding standards of evidence, the law, and what can be done if we suspect that illegal immigrants are being dumped into Idaho. Here’s what we learned from Doug, whose honesty, integrity, gracious sharing of his time, and more than three decades of experience as a peace officer provide a most valuable lens for viewing the illegal invasion problem and coming up with some practical solutions…
“While the footage is certainly consistent with invaders being delivered illegally (and treasonously) throughout the country and into Idaho, it is inconclusive -- from an evidentiary standard of analysis. Thus, any comment on the video as conclusive evidence of an invader dump in Boise would not hold up to scrutiny.
An alien dump absolutely could have happened, but what we believe and what we can prove are sometimes miles apart. Critics of those promoting the video as proof of an alien drop off risk rebuke for arriving at a conclusion based on race alone. There is no footage of the people of concern getting off the buses. Critics could ask if the group on the video is gathering to board buses for a trip to Jackpot. The video presents more questions than it answers. In the court of public opinion, we liberty people in particular should beware of emotions driving hasty conclusions; that is what the Left does.”
🔥 TAKE ACTION: Citizen journalists must now do the job the media has failed to do. Citizen journalists like Elon Musk, James O’Keefe, and others can help law enforcement and legislators make their case.
Careful documentation of state crimes committed by illegal invaders and others is key to providing accurate, supportable evidence in criminal cases. Citizen journalists must be well trained, and they must ensure their own safety while filming or recording. O’Keefe Media Group offers training.
What’s the Problem with Illegal Immigration?
Without a doubt, crime is soaring throughout the country because of the treasonous open border policy and facilitation by the federal government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dispersing them.
In the US and around the world, replacement immigration is leading to human and child trafficking, crime and terrorism, riots and social unrest, an explosion of damage and deaths from drugs such as fentanyl, illegal voting, unlicensed driving, and more. Our national fabric is being ripped to shreds while taxpayer costs to feed, house, medicate, and educate illegal arrivals soar well beyond the breaking point.
Human slavery also is alive and well in Western nations, including the US, as we create an entire class of low-paid or unpaid workers. (See Idaho’s example of the weak Senate joint memorial SJM102 favoring cheap labor for the agriculture, construction, food processing, hospitality, and other industries.)
“The nation and the country should be the same size. They are no longer! This level of invasion on top of an already largely unassimilated population and citizens hostile to our origins and founding ethos is beyond alarming. All of this is a consequence of the planned destruction of the United States and other Western nations through Marxist strategies.” ~Douglas Traubel
Immigration Laws and Courts Tie the Hands of Idaho Sheriffs and LEOs
Immigration law is federal. Sheriffs have no jurisdiction to arrest for unlawful entry or any immigration violations (though Louisiana and Texas are trying to change this). Citizens have a right to self-defense and have the power to make a citizen's arrest, but a state crime must exist to arrest them.
County government is not integrated into the federal system by design. But there’s a downside to dual sovereignty and federalism when the federal government abdicates its duty to defend the border. The Founders probably never imagined such a scenario. No equivalent Idaho state code currently enables a prosecutor to file charges if a citizen, Sheriff, or other local Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) makes an arrest for an immigration violation. Doing so could get the citizen, Sheriff, or other LEO prosecuted and sued.
No statutory authority exists for local law enforcement to respond to circumstances like those shown in the video above, even using the low bar of reasonable suspicion of an immigration violation. Why? Because local LEOs have no jurisdiction in this area.
The courts have neutered local law enforcement through striking down the respective states' efforts to defend themselves from this invasion, typically using the US Constitution’s Supremacy Clause as the basis for their rulings. Thus, local law enforcement must wait for a state crime to occur before they can make an arrest. A rape, robbery, murder, theft etc. must happen to We the People before immigration status enters the radar.
The result?
Our citizenship has been devalued.
There is almost no accountability.
Prisons and jails are negatively impacted and after the sentence is satisfied, the offender "might" be deported. (Some immigration status cases in Boise are over twelve years old and keep getting pushed later down the calendar.)
If a local investigation proved an operation to disperse illegals in Boise (for example), it would have to be referred to the federal Department of Justice (DOJ), which is unlikely to act. Our current DOJ is more likely to investigate the local LEOs for civil rights violations than to focus on the colonizing invaders.
Using the above video as an example…
Suppose the Sheriff protects himself from becoming the target of a Civil Rights investigation and makes consent contacts (as opposed to a detention where they are not free to go) of the people in the video. Further, assume he develops reasonable suspicion or probable cause. He’d then have to refer the case to the DOJ. All the invaders are long gone by then. The only possible person on the hook is the bus driver and carrier who can claim ignorance.
Creative Solutions: What CAN Sheriffs Do?
Traubel explains:
Sheriffs have no silver bullet. They have limited authority. But where their authority ends, their influence continues — if they would be so bold as to speak truth to power. A Sheriff’s voice would tell the public to prepare because a cop is usually minutes away when needed now. The Supreme Court has said police have no duty to provide for your personal safety. Their role is “public safety.” All it takes is one or two staged events to tie all local law enforcement up and leave our neighborhoods unprotected. Your safety is your responsibility.
Sheriffs do have some options…
Posse
Extreme situations require extreme measures. Every Sheriff should raise a posse as force multipliers. Each zip code should have a minimum of twenty posse members and a muster location.
With our country entering complete lawlessness, Sheriffs must think outside the box. The posse is essential. Sheriffs must cast off the risk management counter argument to a posse and trust the people they serve.
For example, Ada County Sheriff boasts it is the largest law enforcement agency in the state, with approximately 800 employees. How many of those are field deputies? Perhaps 150 and they are not all on duty at once. They need help. A well-trained volunteer posse of We the People await the call to serve!
It takes time to erect such a posse program. Most Sheriffs are way behind now. When you need force multipliers, they must exist ahead of the need. It takes time to recruit, vet and train mature talent. Traubel estimates it would take two years to get any sizable group up and running.
To handle the unthinkable, Doug Traubel proposes patrolling in each zip code. He would work with We the People to harden the target and earn a reputation that Ada County is awake, organized and mobilized. (As a form of tough love, he also would only give the driver's test in English, which is the official language of Idaho.)
🔥TAKE ACTION: Citizens, if the Sheriff decides to form a posse and you can help, please volunteer!
Extend Detention to Determine Immigration Status
Illegal invaders can be arrested for any state crimes they commit and "holds" (detainers) placed on them in jail (assuming ICE still does that). While courts have struck down other attempts by states to pass laws in this area, one helpful case is Arizona v. United States 2012: https://legaldictionary.net/arizona-v-united-states/.
Summary of Arizona Case (from LegalDictionary.net description): In 2010, the State of Arizona passed S.B. 1070 to address the increasing problem of illegal immigrants coming into the State. The bill’s four prominent provisions were:
It was a state crime to fail to comply with federal alien-registration requirements.
It was a state crime for an immigrant unlawfully in the country to seek or engage in work in Arizona.
State and local officers had the authority to arrest people without a warrant if they had “probable cause to believe [an individual] has committed any public offense that makes the person removable from the United States.”
Officers conducting a stop, detention, or arrest should make efforts to verify the person’s immigration status with the federal government.
Unfortunately, only the fourth provision of the Arizona law survived the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). This provision extends the length of detention for the purpose of determining immigration status.
Idaho Sheriffs could lean on this ruling in the jail. The case upheld only one part of the Arizona law: Anyone arrested "...SHALL have the person's immigration status determined."
Recruit former ICE Agents as In-Jail Posse Members
Sheriffs could recruit former ICE agents (retired to Idaho) to work in the jail booking area as posse members to help determine immigration status, thereby stopping or slowing the revolving door from the jail to the street. If ICE follows up, gives the arrestees a (federal) court date, and expects the Sheriff to release them, why can't they be put on a van and released at the US/Mexico border? The federal government ships them all over the country — why can’t states take similar actions? Perhaps a Sheriff Air Posse could fly them to the US/Mexico border. Pilots could volunteer and fuel could be paid for by a crowdsourcing account.
Brainstorm with Attorney General and Legislators
The states appear positioned to respond reactively to illegal invasion. Like the vagrancy problem, zero tolerance law enforcement is needed on the invaders. The numbers are designed to drive the implosion of the system.
Sheriffs should consult the National Guard on their model for detention camps for when the jails are overcrowded. In Ada County, for example, the Expo Idaho Fair Grounds could be turned to a jail annex.
The consequences of the open border will bring such a spike in crime that some states may close their borders and even secede. Thirteen Counties in Oregon already voted to secede from that state to become part of Greater Idaho (this initiative requires approval from both states and the US Congress).
The end game is chaos on a scale such that people will beg for an iron fist. Thus, the time is right for real legislative reform that can pass muster in federal courts. Given the impracticality of secession and the undesirability of implosion and civil war, there “ought to be a law.”
🔥TAKE ACTION: Sheriffs, LEOs, and Citizens must brainstorm with the Attorney General and legislators on real-teeth legislation that might beat the crushing blow of the Arizona v. US case mentioned above. (See also Resources below.)
Resources
🔥 Resources for Citizens: Urge Elected Officials Not to Fund Illegal Immigrants
We hope citizens will implore their cities and counties to stop funding illegal immigration. Below are templates you can use to approach your own city and county elected officials, including a sample cover letter, city resolution, and county resolution (files are in PDF format; Substack does not allow other formats).
Acknowledgements
🙏 We gratefully acknowledge Tracey Koellisch for writing the brilliant original cover letter and city resolution. And we thank Mark Loucks for inspiring this article and reviewing the three templates.
Editing the Templates
👉 Replace yellow highlighted [***] placeholders in the templates as needed.
How to Make PDF files Editable: If you cannot edit the provided PDF files simply by opening them in your word processing program, first convert the PDF files to an editable format such as RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, or WORD.
FreeConvert is one tool that lets you convert PDF files to one of the editable formats listed above; you can then download the converted file to your computer (you may need to temporarily disable adblockers or subscribe).
Sending the Revised Templates
After customizing as needed, you can email or snail mail your document to elected officials.
👉 We recommend sending both email and snail mail. Printed documents sent via certified and/or return-receipt requested snail mail often will have more gravitas and receive more attention from elected officials.
Idaho City Officials: https://www.idaho.gov/cities/
Idaho County Officials: https://idaho.gov/counties/
Other states: Search for [state name] County Officials or [state name] City Officials
Template Cover Letter for City or County Officials
Template Resolution for City Officials
Template Resolution for County Officials
Constitutions & Statutes
US Constitution — Congressional Powers — Article 1, Section 8
US Constitution — Relations Between the States — Article 4, Section 4
US Constitution — Supremacy Clause — Article 6
Discussion: Article 6 (list of topics)
Idaho Constitution search on “Immigration”: Search
Idaho Statutes search on “Immigration”: Search
State Efforts (selected)
Arizona
S.B. 1070 Text (2010) | Wikipedia Article
Idaho
🆕 Reclaiming State Sovereignty Over Illegal Immigration in 2025 & Beyond.
Here's how Idaho, along with our counties and cities, can combat illegal immigration. By Brian Lenney - Nampa's Senator (10/11/24) | Substack Note | Idaho Freedom Caucus Substack
🆕 Press Release: Idaho Joins Coalition to Stop Biden-Harris Administration from Giving Obamacare to Illegal Immigrants (08/12/24)
Governor Little Press Release: Gov. Little, Secretary McGrane make Idaho first state to take executive action ensuring ONLY CITIZENS WILL VOTE (07/09/24)
Idaho GOP Chair Dorothy Moon Press Release: Crisis and Accountability (05/30/24)
Governor Little Press Release: State police troopers return from mission to the U.S.-Mexico border (05/29/24)
2024 Bills (those marked as “DEAD” were held in State Affairs Committee)
SJM102 - Joint Memorial - Immigration, labor, security (LAW - favors hiring illegal immigrants)
HJM008 - Joint Memorial - Biden admin, immigration (DEAD)
HJM011 - Joint Memorial - Immigration (FAILED House - 34-34-2)
HR006 - House Resolution - Supporting Texas, securing borders, house resolution (DEAD)
H0464 - Interstate compact, border security, new (DEAD)
H0753 - Illegal entry into this state, new (DEAD)
H0756 - Illegal immigration, e-verify, human smuggling, new (DEAD)
Louisiana:
Louisiana House Passes Bill to Allow Law Enforcement to Arrest Illegal Immigrants (05/27/24): Read | Louisiana Senate Bill No. 388
Oregon:
Thirteen Counties in Oregon voted to secede from that state to become part of Greater Idaho (KTVB 05/23/24)
Ballotpedia: Greater Idaho Ballot Measures
Texas:
Texas Senate Bill 4 (2023)
Status: On Hold but can go into affect pending appeal in 5th circuit (Wikipedia)
SCOTUS Rules: Arrests of illegal border crossers can continue pending appeals (05/19/24)
Supplemental Reading & Videos
Idaho Freedom Foundation on what we can do:
🆕 Illegal Immigrants Are a Drain on Idaho’s Taxpayers. By Fred Birnbaum (10/15/24) | Substack Note
🆕 Fiscal Fridays: Refugees Are Rolling into Idaho, and So Are Their Handouts (10/25/24, video 05:26 includes transcript) | Substack Note
🆕 Fiscal Fridays: End the Handouts for Illegals in Idaho. By Niklas Kleinworth (10/11/24, video 05:51 includes transcript and links to related articles and reports) | Substack Note
🆕 To Stem the Flow of Illegal Immigrants, Idaho Must Stop Funding their Handouts. By Niklas Kleinworth (10/04/24)
🆕 Idaho Must Lead the Way on Illegal Immigration Policy. By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D. (10/03/24)
🆕 Time to Protect Idaho against Biden’s Border Treason. By Fred Birnbaum (10/02/24)
🆕 Drivers License for Illegals? When wrong becomes right. By Zito for Idaho - Christy Zito (08/23/24)
Sanctuary Counties in Idaho?
🆕 ICE Apologizes for Listing Kootenai County as ‘Non-cooperative’. By Charity Joy (08/26/24)
🆕 Jail Data Shows Kootenai County Honors ICE Detainers, Maintains Agreement to House Federal Detainees. By Charity Joy (08/23/24)
🆕 Illegal Alien Sanctuaries in Idaho? Say it ain't so. By Brian Almon (08/22/24)
🆕 Idaho Giving Sanctuary to Illegals. By Brian Lenney - Nampa's Senator (08/22/24)
🆕 Fighting Age Males In Camouflage Swarming Across Our Borders. By SAM FADDIS (07/12/24)
🆕 ‘TREASON' filmmaker JJ Carrell issues urgent INVASION warning for America (07/24, 1 hr video)
🆕 How to Protect Idaho from the Border Madness. What the Legislature Can Do. By ZITO FOR IDAHO (07/02/24).
🆕 Fiscal Fridays: Ending Handouts for Illegal Immigrants (06/21/24, 5 min video includes notes and links)
🆕 Idaho Must Stop Funding Handouts For Illegal Immigrants (06/11/24). Idaho Freedom Foundation.
🆕 Illegal Aliens or Foreign Workers in Idaho? (06/09/24, includes video with Dorothy Moon, Chair Idaho GOP). Idaho Dispatch.
🆕 Savannah Hernandez reporting on Illegal Immigration (06/06/24, video segment starts at ~13 min timestamp). The Highwire.
🆕 AND Magazine (Click the magnifying glass and search for “immigration”)
The Great Replacement Theory Is Now Reality (05/11/24). Charity Joy in Kootenai Journal
🆕 Doug Traubel for Ada County Sheriff: Website | YouTube channel | Voting Guide
🔥🆕 Ada County Sheriff Candidate Debate Set for Saturday, October 26. By Staff Reporter (10/19/24): Article | Substack Note