Detention of migrant and border-patrol contacts draw public outcry; council seeks transparency on training and records

Residents and local advocates urged the Whitefish City Council on June 2 to investigate a recent traffic stop that led to a federal immigration detainment and to publish training materials and policies governing when local officers contact U.S. Border Patrol.

Video shown at the meeting and speakers who testified cited the detainment of an individual later identified in local reporting as Paquero N. del Castillo and drew parallels to other recent detainments beyond the valley. "What you just heard is the detainment of Noemi Berrios in Maryland by ICE with no warrant," one speaker said while playing a recorded video of a separate incident; other speakers tied that example to local concerns.

Rebecca Miller, an immigration advocate, said she read the police incident report and found no indication the driver posed an immigration-law threat that would normally…