Whitefish residents press council over Border Patrol role after recent traffic-stop detention

Dozens of residents at the Whitefish City Council meeting on May 5 urged the council to review how Whitefish Police interact with U.S. Border Patrol after a recent traffic stop that led to an immigration detention.

Speakers said the incident has left immigrants and U.S.-born residents with brown skin fearful of routine encounters with law enforcement. "Today, my greatest fear is meeting law enforcement," resident Shannon told the council, adding she has lived in Whitefish for 24 years.

The comments followed an extended public-comment period in which local advocates described what they called an increase in local law enforcement calling Border Patrol. John Ratka Skinner, who said he is a personal sponsor for Renjifo del Castillo under a USCIS parole program, told council members that at the time of the stop the man had a Montana driver’s license, car insurance and a valid work permit. "There's really no reason for Whitefish police to call Border Patrol other than the fact that he was brown and didn't speak English," Skinner said.

Why it matters: Council members and staff heard repeated appeals for a formal statement or policy changes to reassure immigrants that normal municipal policing will not automatically lead to immigration enforcement. Speakers urged the council to clarify limits on referrals to federal immigration agents and to consider a proclamation that Whitefish is welcoming to immigrants.

City staff and a police representative responded in the meeting. Staff noted the department has access to telephone interpretation services provided through a vendor, LanguageLink, and that Border Patrol should not be contacted for interpretation-only assistance. A Whitefish police representative told the council the department "does not enforce immigration law" and that officers may query dispatch about status but that Border Patrol dispatch in the Spokane sector — when contacted — made its own determination and dispatched agents in the cited incident. The representative said the traffic stop in question lasted 14 minutes, a written warning was issued for the violation, and Border Patrol conducted the immigration follow-up.

The police representative said the department has taken steps in response to community concern, including placing a requirement that a supervisor be notified before contacting Border Patrol. The department also made its bias-based policing and immigration-related policies available to the council and public, and staff said the city has no current interest in entering federal immigration task-force agreements.

Council reaction and next steps: Councilors and staff acknowledged public concern and noted the distinction between local policing duties and federal immigration enforcement. Council members asked staff for a clearer summary of the department’s contacts with immigration authorities and for the relevant policies to be made available to the public; staff distributed the department's written bias-based policing and immigration policies during the meeting. No formal ordinance or resolution was proposed at the meeting.

Community context: Several speakers linked the issue to a broader climate of fear among people of color and immigrants in the Flathead Valley and urged the city to act to preserve community trust. John Ratka Skinner referenced a recent federal court decision affecting parole statuses under a USCIS parole program and said that had bearing on the legal status of some local residents.

What remains open: The council did not take formal legislative action at the meeting. Staff and police said they will continue reviewing procedures. Residents who testified urged the council to consider a public proclamation and to clarify when and how local officers should involve federal immigration authorities.