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Whitefish residents call for review after traffic stop led to six‑day immigration detention
Summary
Multiple residents told the City Council they want further investigation and policy clarification after a traffic stop resulted in the six‑day out‑of‑state detention of Renjifo del Castillo; speakers cited possible language and ethnicity bias and asked for clearer police procedures on contacting federal immigration authorities.
Whitefish — At the May 20 City Council meeting several residents urged the council to investigate a recent traffic stop that led to the six‑day detention of a local driver by federal authorities, saying the stop and subsequent referral to border patrol appeared to be based on language ability and ethnicity.
John Ratka Skinner, a Whitefish resident, told the council he had read the Whitefish Police Department policy on bias‑based policing and said the department’s handbook states officers must not rely inappropriately on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, national origin or limited English proficiency. “Officer Hingis made a deliberate and wholly discretionary decision to call border patrol during his stop of Mister Renjifo del Castillo,” Ratka Skinner said in public comment. He added that Del Castillo had a valid Montana driver’s license and…
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