Blaine County Residents Demand Action. Will Our Leaders Listen?

The Blaine County Republican Party recently launched a petition calling on the cities of Bellevue, Hailey, and Ketchum to rescind their sanctuary city policies and urging the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The response has been overwhelming: more than 340 residents have already signed on.

Why? Because people are fed up. They’re tired of watching illegal immigrants commit crimes—sometimes violent ones—under the protection of policies that tell local law enforcement to look the other way.

City officials claim they don’t have “sanctuary city” policies. But that’s a word game. Just because they slap a different label on these policies doesn’t mean they aren’t actively undermining federal immigration enforcement. They think the citizens of Blaine County won’t notice the deception, but they’re wrong.

Even more disturbing: just last week, the Blaine County Democrats publicly encouraged people not to cooperate with ICE agents conducting targeted arrests of known criminals. Their allies at The Alliance have long pressured city and county officials to shield dangerous individuals from accountability. Apparently, they’d rather protect perpetrators of domestic violence, child predators, and repeat offenders than ensure the safety of our neighborhoods.

Ketchum has passed not one but two resolutions supporting sanctuary policies, yet Mayor Neil Bradshaw insists they aren’t a sanctuary city. In a recent interview, he said, “We don’t use city funds to enforce federal immigration laws.” That’s exactly the problem. Refusing to enforce the law isn’t neutrality, it’s neglect.

Hailey Mayor Martha Burke’s response? Dismiss it all as a political game. Hundreds of concerned residents have legitimate questions about public safety, and her response is to brush them aside.

If these city leaders believe local law enforcement should ignore federal immigration laws, what’s next? Should they stop cooperating on drug enforcement? What about fraud, child exploitation, or human trafficking? At what point do they draw the line?

The people of Blaine County are demanding answers. And they deserve better than dismissive mayors, double-speak from city councils, and a sheriff’s office that refuses to take a stand.

It’s time for serious leadership change. Enough is enough.

Read the article about our resolution in the Idaho Mountain Express: Blaine County Republicans launch petition against ‘sanctuary city’ policies