ICE detained as many as 100 people during week-long enforcement operations in Gallatin County, Montana

Over the week of roughly June 25 through July 2, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out a series of immigration-enforcement operations across Gallatin County, Montana, in and around Bozeman, Belgrade, and Gallatin Gateway. Local immigrant-resource organizations, including Bienvenidos a Gallatin Valley, estimated that the operations detained anywhere from several dozen to more than 100 people, while cautioning that the true figure was difficult to establish given the lack of transparency in ICE operations.

Community members reported that agents pulled people over in their vehicles and detained not only the individuals they appeared to be seeking but also other occupants and bystanders riding in the same vehicle. Residents also described agents knocking on doors in apparent search of specific people. Local advocates reported roughly 25 to 30 detentions early in the week, followed by a larger wave of more than 80 detentions on Wednesday, July 1, with additional arrests continuing through the July 4 holiday weekend. The reported practice of detaining vehicle occupants and bystanders alongside targeted individuals raises due-process concerns about detention without individualized legal basis.

The operations coincided with a broader nationwide increase in immigration detentions ahead of the July 4 holiday. Gallatin County, home to Montana's fast-growing Bozeman area, has a comparatively small immigrant population, and the concentrated enforcement activity drew statements from local officials and immigrant-support organizations over the following days.

Updates

2026-07-02 — City of Bozeman said it does not conduct or assist civil immigration enforcement [4]

The City of Bozeman issued a statement noting that federal immigration enforcement was operating in the area, that the city does not conduct civil immigration enforcement, and that it had not assisted ICE with the operations.

2026-07-03 — Gallatin County sheriff confirmed awareness of the operations and warned against interference [3, 4]

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer issued a statement confirming that local law enforcement had been made aware of the pending federal operations while describing its role as indirect, and warned members of the public against interfering with the federal immigration operations.