The public back and forth continues between Montana’s attorney general and a county attorney whose office declined to provide private information to federal immigration authorities.
In a letter Thursday, April 23, Attorney General Austin Knudsen tells Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell to follow state law and cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. He rejects Cromwell’s request for a legal opinion on the matter.
The subject of this exchange traces back to October of last year, when the attorney's office refused to give ICE confidential information. Cromwell said it butted up against privacy laws.
In his follow-up this week, Knudsen orders Cromwell to send a memorandum to staff directing them to fulfill data requests from immigration enforcement. He says this is part of a string of similar violations and he’ll step in to exercise supervisory control if she does not comply by April 27.
Both attorneys' offices declined interviews.
