Montanans protest ICE, Trump’s immigration policies

BOZEMAN — Thousands of Montanans around the state held protests Sunday and Monday in the wake of Alex Pretti’s killing by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 and in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policies writ large.

Hundreds gathered in front of the Gallatin County Courthouse on Sunday afternoon. In Missoula, a crowd of more than 1,000 people, enough to span the 325-yard Beartracks Bridge, rallied according to some reports. There were also two events in Billings on Sunday, and another set for Helena Monday night.
As Montanans took to the streets, Montana’s congressional delegation indicated support for an investigation into Pretti’s killing, but sidestepped questions Monday about the Second Amendment right of Pretti, who had a permitted, holstered handgun. All four politicians have campaigned as defenders of gun rights.

Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked for Veterans Affairs, was shot and killed by federal officers Saturday morning in an act that has roiled the country. While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended DHS agents’ actions, describing the DHS officer who shot Pretti as “fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow officers around him,” that account — and the federal government’s denial of state investigators’ access to the crime scene — has come under sharp criticism as a proliferation of videos taken by onlookers indicate that federal officers had already sprayed chemical irritant into Pretti’s eyes, pinned him to the ground and seized the firearm he was authorized to carry before shooting him up to 10 times.

Bozeman residents who participated in the “emergency protest” carried cardboard signs painted with phrases such as “abolish ICE,” “ICE murders” and “Democracy doesn’t fear protest dictators do.” One protester carried an upside-down flag — a sign of a nation in distress — marked with the words “failed state,” while others referenced the killing of Renee Good, another Minnesota resident, by ICE earlier this month, an event that spurred as many as 600 Missoulians to gather on Jan. 11, along with other rallies statewide.

A handful of Bozeman police officers monitored Bozeman’s protest, which was organized by Montana State University students and featured chants of “no justice, no peace, no ICE in our streets.” Bozeman Police Department Deputy Chief Joseph Swanson described Bozeman’s protest as a “very peaceful and orderly event” in an email to MTFP.

Protesters at the Bozeman event criticized Montana’s all-Republican federal delegation for supporting Trump’s immigration policies. 

Montana Free Press requested interviews with all four members of Montana’s Republican delegation about the federal government’s role in Pretti’s death. No interviews were provided. Specifically, MTFP asked whether Pretti’s Second Amendment rights were recognized by federal agents and what type of accountability federal agencies should anticipate in the wake of this month’s fatal shootings by federal officers. 

Though DHS has claimed Pretti approached agents holding a gun, video verified by news outlets shows he was carrying a phone in his hands and that agents yelled that he had a gun only after he was pinned down. Pretti had a valid firearms permit, and open carry is allowed under Minnesota law with that permit. 

The offices of U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy and U.S. Rep. Troy Downing submitted comments from the lawmakers in response to MTFP inquiries. Rep. Ryan Zinke was on a congressional trip out of the country, according to a spokesperson.

Downing, Daines and Sheehy expressed support for an investigation in their responses to MTFP and described Pretti’s death as a “tragedy.”

“Sadly, this tragedy was avoidable. Assaults against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers across the country are up 1,300% and are being fueled by caustic rhetoric designed to provoke altercations, not avoid them,” Downing said. “I stand with our men and women in uniform who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe and support ongoing efforts to facilitate a complete investigation of the incident in question.”

Like Montana’s other statewide elected officials, Downing has been a vocal advocate for the Second Amendment and concealed carry laws. Last year, Downing co-sponsored the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025, which would allow someone who has been authorized to carry a concealed weapon in one state the clearance to do so in another state with a concealed carry law.

“It is heartbreaking to see another avoidable tragedy unfold in Minnesota,” Sheehy said in a statement. “We as Americans must bridge our differences without violence. As is standard with any fatal law enforcement encounter, there will be a full investigation. I strongly urge [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz and [Minneapolis] Mayor [Jacob] Frey to cooperate with ICE so we can avoid future tragedies and facilitate safe and orderly enforcement of our immigration laws. Brave law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way each day to keep our streets safe, and they deserve our respect and support.”

In a short statement, Daines described the event as a “tragedy that should be fully investigated” before transitioning to his continued support of Trump and his hope that it won’t stall ongoing federal budget negotiations. Some Democrats in D.C. have vowed not to support a federal funding bill that includes $64 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of this month’s events. If enough Senate Democrats continue to oppose the bill, much of the federal government could be forced into a shutdown by the end of the week. 

“I am glad President Trump is directly engaged in the situation and sent Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. We must continue to support law enforcement and fund the government in order to avoid a shutdown this week,” Daines said.

Zinke’s staff advised MTFP that he was out of the country and unable to respond Monday to questions about Pretti’s killing. However, in a conversation with MTFP on Jan. 20, Zinke emphasized his support for a House-passed spending bill that includes $20 million of funding for body cameras for immigration officials and $2 million for officer training on de-escalation as part of a larger package that cuts $1.3 billion from Customs and Border Patrol and maintains ICE’s budget at $10 billion. If enough lawmakers continue to protest funding for DHS and ICE, the House bill Zinke voted for could falter amid Senate Democrats’ resistance to funding federal agencies implementing Trump’s immigration agenda.

Montana Democratic Party Chair Shannon O’Brien issued an unsolicited statement Sunday describing Pretti’s killing as an event that has “outraged and horrified” Montana Democrats. “Our hearts go out to Pretti’s family, friends and all those mourning this tragic loss,” O’Brien said. “The repeated violence committed by this administration is unacceptable and needs to stop now. Get ICE and their inexperienced agents off the streets before more lives are needlessly lost.”

The Montana Republican Party made no public statement and didn’t mention the shooting on its digital platforms.

On Thursday, state Sen. Cora Neumann, D-Bozeman, will be joined by six other Democratic state lawmakers in a “day of solidarity” with Minnesota lawmakers tied to a hearing of the Minnesota Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts. 

In a phone conversation with MTFP on Monday evening, Neumann said she organized the trip to Minnesota, which will also feature participation by other Montana lawmakers appearing virtually, to counter Trump’s “divide and conquer” strategy. 

“State legislators have not come together like this as a group of states to push back since Trump was elected, and I thought now’s the time to show up in person,” she said. “There is consensus at a national level — across Democrats and Republicans — that it’s not OK to have masked, unidentified agents in our cities and towns and rural areas terrorizing our population. Enough is enough. This was, for me, the final straw. It may not be happening here, but if it’s happening in Minnesota and other places as well, there’s no reason it can’t happen here.”

Helena residents are organizing events and calls for action this week. On Monday night, Indivisible Helena is organizing an event “to mourn another tragic death and take action.” The organization, which is part of a larger national effort to “protect our democracy” and “resist the fascist agenda,”is pushing the Helena City Commission to adopt a resolution that would prevent the city from working with ICE to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants. The group is also pushing the city to adopt policies that would require ICE agents to de-mask and prohibit racial profiling — an issue that came to the forefront in the apparent mistaken identity arrest of Christopher Martinez Marvan by Helena police officers last year.

Additionally, a Helena High School student is planning an “anti-ICE, student-led peaceful walkout” on Jan. 29.