BILLINGS — Yellowstone County commissioners held an opportunity for public comment on Monday where an overwhelming majority of those in attendance denounced a recent letter written by Commissioner Mark Morse offering the use of MetraPark to detain undocumented migrants in the region.
“We don’t have an illegal immigrant problem. We have a white nationalist problem," said Will Ryerson.
Morse said his proposition to turn MetraPark into a detention center is more of a hypothetical than a practical plan.
“That was an invitation to say to the federal government, ‘If you’re going to come here, we can help you,’ and the reason that’s important is, as people pointed out here in their discussion today, the jail is overcrowded," said Morse, a Republican.
Watch the full story:
Morse said he believes his letter has been misunderstood by the public, with some expressing concern that people of color will be targeted as a result.
“I think it's miscommunication. They think that this is a done deal. They think that we are opening a detention center at MetraPark and they think that we are targeting them. That is not the case. We are targeting criminals," said Morse.
For people like Shirley Marin, who spoke during Monday's public comment, the issue is not merely about legality, it also surrounds social and moral implications of the potential for the public to conflate people of color with criminality, documented or not.
“My child, a 9-year-old, has already been called a border crosser. He is a U.S. citizen. His father served in the military and fought in two wars," said Marin. "Why does my child have to be subjected to that because of the color of his skin?”
Last week, Morse sent the letter to the four members of Montana's congressional delegation, all Republicans, in response to President Trump's recent order to ratchet up deportations.
The letter was authored by Morse, the board's chair, but contained language speaking for the other two commissioners, Republicans John Ostlund and Mike Waters.
