BOZEMAN—Sen. Jon Tester’s Republican challenger, Tim Sheehy, at a Bozeman event Thursday, called on citizens to hold elected officials accountable for the nation’s illegal immigration crisis. Just off Main Street in downtown Bozeman, Sheehy joined former Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem to discuss border security and the impacts of border policy.
Clem served for 27 years in Border Patrol, and has been circling the state sharing with Montanans what he sees at stake in the U.S. immigration crisis. Clem shared his insights from from the U.S. border with Mexico at a grassroots Q&A hosted by Americans for Prosperity.
Sheehy, who clinched the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Montana earlier this month, prefaced Clem’s remarks with a call for accountability, characterizing the border as a national security threat.
Beyond security, Sheehy emphasized accountability for the immigration crisis. “We must hold our elected officials accountable for what is happening right now,” Sheehy said.
“All fifty states are border states right now.”
Big Sky Prospector analysis showed what’s at stake for Democrats in Montana, and nationally, in the face of the border crisis that’s seen millions of illegal entries into the country.
Tester’s footing between controversial DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment last month, which Tester blocked, and cosponsoring the Laken Riley Act, shows the incumbent Senator walking a fine line this cycle.
“It’s affecting all states; all fifty states are border states right now,” Sheehy said.
“I’m a pro-immigration guy,” Sheehy said, voicing his warm support of legal immigration. Through legal immigration, Sheehy said, “we know who they are, that they share our values, and that when they come here, they will integrate with our society and be good, upstanding Americans.”
Clem echoed Sheehy’s sentiment, appealing to a “tall fences, wide gates” approach, saying that policy would lead to humane, secure immigration that protects both Americans and immigrants.
Sheehy highlighted the opportunistic nature of illegal immigration and the magnitude of the industry. A tapestry of NGOs and religious organizations have been critical to facilitating illegal border crossings. The Biden Administration has funded organizations in the millions, with U.N. backed groups collecting more than $1.6 billion to facilitate illegal entry into the United States.
Illegal border crossings increased eightfold in the transition from the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration, with at least 8 million illegal entries since 2020. Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol does not prosecute illegal entrants, instead“processing” migrants by documenting their biometrics as they enter.
Cartel Operations
Sheehy also highlighted the reality of cartels operating on the Southern Border. “These are sophisticated, multi-national, multi-billion dollar organizations that operate all over the world. If you put one of these cartels on the US stock exchange, they would be a Fortune 500 company; they make billions of dollars a year,” Sheehy told those gathered. “They are well financed, they are very well coordinated, and they are ruthless and they are taking advantage of these completely irresponsible policies we have going on right now.”
Sheehy criticized current “completely irresponsible” border policy. “All [the Biden administration] had to do on the border when they inherited it was nothing. If they did nothing, we would have a totally secure border— because that's what we had in 2020. Instead, they chose to enact these policies that are hurting every single American every single day all across the country.”
“We must hold our elected leaders accountable for what’s happening now. This is not an accident,” Sheehy said.
Clem served under five residential administrations. Historically, he said, border security has been a bipartisan issue. But in the last decade, immigration has become increasingly polarized, with democrats building an open border into the party’s platform.
Clem noted that the Obama Administration initially advocated for immigration reform alongside enhanced border security. During Obama’s first term, the U.S. constructed miles of new border wall and updated walls built during the Bush administration.
But border policy changed around Obama’s 2012 re-election, and during Obama’s second term, the demographics of illegal crossings changed drastically. Previously, the majority of illegal crossings were single, adult Mexican males. Around 2012, illegal border crossings increasingly skewed to unaccompanied children, pregnant single women, and other vulnerable groups.
With the shift, Clem said, came an increase in violent gangs, drug cartel activity, smuggling, and terrorism.
At last night’s halting debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the issue of the border was highlighted by both candidates. Under the current administration, 8 million people have illegally entered the country, plus an additional 1.8 million “gotaways,” pushing the total over 10 million migrants.
Clem echoed Sheehy’s call for accountability. “Voting is critically important. We had a secure border.”
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