{"id":260907,"date":"2026-01-28T08:06:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/?p=260907"},"modified":"2026-02-04T16:33:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T23:33:48","slug":"froid-montana-border-patrol-arrest-immigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/01\/28\/froid-montana-border-patrol-arrest-immigration\/","title":{"rendered":"When Border Patrol arrested a beloved mechanic in Froid, Montana, neighbors were forced to reckon with national immigration policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story was updated on Jan. 28 at 7:09 p.m. to reflect new developments. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community members first noticed the Border Patrol cars in early January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Froid \u2014 a tiny town in northeast Montana \u2014 is just 50 miles from the U.S.-Canada border, Border Patrol cars are not a common sight outside of the occasional gas station stop. About two weeks ago, however, residents told Montana Free Press that the number of Border Patrol vehicles increased. Two cars were stationed outside a local auto repair shop and one near the shop owner\u2019s house, they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t take long for word to spread in the small community of about 195 people that the federal immigration agents were watching 42-year-old Roberto Orozco-Ramirez. The father of four, who is technically a citizen of Mexico, has lived in Froid with his family for more than a decade, long enough that the local auto repair shop, Orozco Diesel, bears his name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orozco-Ramirez, his wife and their four sons are fixtures in the small community. His sons are active in school sports, and Orozco-Ramirez coached baseball Little League teams in his spare time. He built an auto shop where community members say he went above and beyond for customers. Though Orozco-Ramirez worked long hours, Froid residents say, he made time for school and community events, often showing up in his work clothes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of this week \u2014 following a sequence of events that is forcing a deeply red town to confront their own complicated beliefs on immigration \u2014 it\u2019s unclear if he will be in the United States much longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, Border Patrol arrested Orozco-Ramirez and he was transported to Roosevelt County Jail, about 67 miles from his house. The U.S. government charged him with illegal reentry into the country and threatening a federal officer, criminal charges that could ultimately result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, imprisonment or deportation. On Wednesday afternoon, he appeared in federal court in Great Falls. A U.S. Department of Justice lawyer wearing a black suit advocated for Orozco-Ramirez to remain in detention, calling him \u201cdangerous.\u201d Several of the dozen or so Froid residents, who had driven seven hours to show their support for their neighbor, shook their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A public defender rebutted this, referencing a previous statement<\/a> by the local sheriff stating he \u201cposed no danger to the community.\u201d Court documents say Orozco-Ramirez has no criminal history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, federal Judge John Johnston set a preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to proceed, for Feb. 5 and a detention hearing, to determine whether he should be released on bail throughout his case, on Feb. 9. He will remain in detention until then. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exiting the courtroom after the hearing, Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s son, Roberto Orozco Lazcano, 18, hugged his two younger brothers. Neighbors embraced, wiping tears from their eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s nonsense,\u201d Brittney Nordlund, who works in Froid Public Schools, said of the allegation that Orozco-Ramirez is \u201cdangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re lying,\u201d Rachel Sundheim, another Froid resident, said through tears. \u201cHe is the role model we want in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their decision to travel nearly 400 miles \u2014 one way \u2014 to the hearing, which lasted all of eight minutes, was just the latest of many community efforts to show their support for their  neighbor. Though the vast majority of Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s neighbors voted for President Donald Trump, who has made vows<\/a> to deport “illegal aliens\u201d a centerpiece of his administration, the town has rallied to support him \u2014 since his arrest they have demonstrated their outrage at Border Patrol through protests, letters to lawmakers, public Facebook posts and now their presence in the courtroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe community responded more than I ever thought,\u201d said Orozco Lazcano, a freshman at Williston State College in North Dakota, who returned to Froid last week when his dad called and said Border Patrol was staged outside his business. \u201cThey\u2019re giving us help I didn\u2019t know we needed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Two of Roberto Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s sons hug neighbors outside the Missouri River Courthouse after Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s initial appearance Jan. 28, 2026, in Great Falls. They, along with other Froid residents, drove seven hours that morning to support Orozco-Ramirez.
Credit:<\/span> Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WHO IS ROBERTO OROZCO-RAMIREZ?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Most people in Froid work in agriculture<\/a>, producing wheat, alfalfa and barley and raising cattle. Others work in the school, post office, bank, or oil fields. Liz Melbourne, who graduated from Froid Public Schools and whose kids now attend school there, described the 0.6 square mile town as a \u201cstorybook\u201d community and called the recent incident with Orozco-Ramirez \u2014 one of just 11 or so Hispanic residents according to Census data<\/a> \u2014 \u201ceye-opening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it pretty much rocked everybody\u2019s world to see something like this,\u201d said Melbourne. On Sunday, just before she learned that Border Patrol agents had taken Orozco-Ramirez away, Melbourne stood for five hours with a handful of protesters on the side of the road near Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne, who doesn\u2019t describe herself as Republican or Democrat, said she understood Trump\u2019s immigration policy to be about arresting and deporting people who were living in the U.S. illegally and who had also committed crimes. That\u2019s one reason why Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s detainment came as a shock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t criminals,\u201d she said. \u201cRoberto is a father, he opened his own business. He has a great family. They\u2019re just model citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
U.S. Border Patrol agents leave the Missouri River Courthouse after the initial appearance of Roberto Orozco-Ramirez on Jan. 28, 2026, in Great Falls.
Credit:<\/span> Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The other shock, for Melbourne and her neighbors, was that Trump\u2019s national immigration crackdown had extended beyond big cities, like Chicago and Minneapolis, and infiltrated her small town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my fear,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s that I\u2019m living in a small town and now this is in my backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To resident Laurie Young, Orozco-Ramirez and his family embodied the American dream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen they moved here, they never asked for anything,\u201d she told MTFP in an interview Monday, choking back tears. \u201cThey bought a home, put their kids in school, they built that business from the ground up. They just worked their butts off. \u2026 When I think of people coming to the U.S. for a better life, I just can\u2019t imagine any family doing more than he has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s diesel shop in Froid provided crucial services to community members who would otherwise have to drive an hour to Williston, North Dakota, for repairs. Keith Nordlund, a technician at a local power plant who attended the hearing with his wife Brittney, said Orozco-Ramirez once worked through the night, and in cold winter temperatures, to repair a school bus that had lost heat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe did it for the school,\u201d Nordlund said. \u201cHe did it for the kids to ensure they\u2019d have a safe ride. He\u2019s always looking out for everybody else. He\u2019s doing what he can to help anybody and everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nordlund, who\u2019s been in touch with Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s family, said it was obvious that Border Patrol was targeting them over the past month. Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s children, who range in age from second grade to college, told him they couldn\u2019t leave their house without being pulled over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnytime they took off driving, Border Patrol would wait until they\u2019re a ways away, pull them over, check the vehicle, make sure there was nobody else inside of it and then just send them on their way,\u201d he said, adding that Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s children were born in the U.S. and are American citizens. \u201cThey would follow them to and from school. It got so bad, all of the kids are no longer in school.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a school of 81 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, Young said, those  absences felt \u201cloud.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young, another community member, confirmed that Border Patrol was often parked one block from school. \u201cWe have three streets in town. There was no avoiding them!\u201d she said<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Provided\"
Roberto Orozco-Ramirez, a business owner in Froid, Montana, stands with his four children. Credit:<\/span> Provided by Laura Christoffersen<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe kids don\u2019t know what to do for their friends,\u201d she said, adding that her son is friends with Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s son. \u201cAnd it\u2019s so hard to explain to them. How do you explain that this is the culture of our country right now? There\u2019s no good way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representatives for Border Patrol did not respond to a request for comment on how they interacted with Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT HAPPENED?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to court filings, in March and July, two of Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s brothers were apprehended by Border Patrol in Scobey and Bainville, two other small towns in northeast Montana. Orozco-Ramirez was then identified by Border Patrol agents in the area who believed he was in the U.S. illegally. The complaint alleges that Orozco-Ramirez \u201cwas removed\u201d from the U.S. in 2009 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Jan. 15, wearing plain clothes and driving in unmarked vehicles, according to the complaint, Border Patrol agents knocked on the door of Orozco Diesel. Orozco-Ramirez was suspicious of the officers and refused to let them into the building, according to court documents. Border patrol agents also accuse him of yelling threats at them as they left the area and throwing a two-by-six piece of lumber in their direction as they drove away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young was not present at the time of the arrest. But the neighbor was sympathetic of a desire to throw something and yell at plain-clothed agents driving in unmarked vehicles.\u201c They tried to force their way in. Came back with rifles. If anyone showed up to our door in regular clothes, I would do the same thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Keith Nordlund talks to his fellow community members outside the Missouri River Courthouse after Roberto Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s initial appearance Jan. 28, 2026, in Great Falls.
Credit:<\/span> Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On Sunday, the Roosevelt County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a> announced in a Facebook post that a man, later confirmed to be Orozco-Ramirez, had surrendered to local law enforcement after Border Patrol agents were staged near a business in Froid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s important to note that the man and his family have been productive members of the community and have had no negative interactions with local law enforcement since they moved here over a decade ago,\u201d the Facebook post reads. \u201cThe man posed no danger to the community at any point during this incident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The complaint states that there is no record within the Department of Homeland Security that he applied for permission to re-enter the United States after he was removed from the U.S. by ICE in 2009. The complaint also states Orozco-Ramirez \u201cwas identified as a Surenos gang member when initially encountered in Logan, Utah.\u201d Representatives for Border Patrol did not respond to questions about how the agency made that determination or what allegedly happened in Utah. Border Patrol made similar gang allegations<\/a> in three other Montana cases in 2025 that defense attorneys disputed and judges later dismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Rate, legal director of ACLU Montana, said that references to gang affiliation can lack credibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have seen that this administration has trumped up allegations of criminal behavior or gang participation in order to justify the detention and removal of an individual who otherwise had no gang affiliation or criminal history,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been weaponized in a way that\u2019s particularly harmful to immigrants and immigrant communities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Froid residents said they were stunned by the gang accusation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat may work in a big city where people don\u2019t know each other,\u201d Young said. \u201cThat won\u2019t work here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People
Several community members hold signs supporting Roberto Orozco-Ramirez in Froid soon after he was arrested. Credit:<\/span> Provided by Liz Melbourne<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The penalty for illegal re-entry in the U.S. is up to two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, and the penalty for threatening a federal officer is up to six years imprisonment with a $250,000 fine. Either conviction could lead to deportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMUNITY ACTION AND CONCERN<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Just before Orozco-Ramirez was detained Sunday, a handful of Froid community members stood on the side of the road near Orozco Diesel holding signs in support of his family. Passersby honked and waved in support. One flashed a middle finger, according to Melbourne, who attended the protest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And hours after the Roosevelt County Sheriff\u2019s Facebook post went up that evening, Froid residents began circulating a digital flyer, showing photos of Orozco-Ramirez and his family, reading \u201cSTAND WITH THE OROZCO\u2019S\u201d in big, block letters. Others encouraged people to write and call members of Montana\u2019s delegation expressing concern. Some people, Nordlund said, collected donations to cover Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s legal fees; others organized a meal train for his family. Young asked people to share personal statements and photos showing Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s community involvement, should they be helpful to the family in court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sample email template addressing Montana elected officials that\u2019s circulating among Froid residents describes Orozco-Ramirez as \u201ca respected and deeply rooted member of the community\u201d and encourages Montana lawmakers to review his case. It also asks leaders for guidance \u201cin determining whether any lawful pathways may exist that could allow Mr. Orozco Ramirez to pursue legal status.\u201d Nordlund, whose son is friends with Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s son, said he sent the email to Gov. Greg Gianforte and Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lauren\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Celia Sundhein, a freshman at Froid Public Schools, gets in the car to drive seven hours back to Froid after Roberto Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s initial appearance Jan. 28, 2026, in Great Falls.
Credit:<\/span> Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Attending the hearing on Wednesday was the next logical step. Some neighbors carpooled in large SUVs. Orozco-Ramirez\u2019s sons drove together, leaving their terrified mother and second-grade brother back in Froid. Kate Eby, a nurse in Great Falls who had never met Orozco-Ramirez, was amongst their midst. She said she heard about the hearing in Great Falls from a coworker who lived in Froid. She made sure to attend and show her support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to look at Minneapolis and say it\u2019s far away, and that doesn\u2019t happen here,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it does. And it\u2019s not the same. Compared to big cities, we\u2019re lacking resources. We\u2019re lacking numbers. But to have community in Montana, the boundaries have to be a little bit bigger. I wanted the family to know we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people are taken by law enforcement, transferred to facilities and deported, she said, it\u2019s hard to know where they end up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPaying attention like this keeps people safe,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nordlund, who expressed his support for Orozco-Ramirez on Facebook, said he\u2019s mostly heard from people who want to help but has also received some criticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey said, \u2018I can\u2019t believe you\u2019re helping them. I can\u2019t believe you\u2019re doing this,\u2019\u201d he told MTFP. \u201cI said, \u2018You know what? Up until six months ago, I didn\u2019t know Roberto was illegal. And he is my friend. His status doesn\u2019t change that I am his friend.\u2019 Do I agree with him being here illegally? No, I actually don\u2019t. But all I can try to do is help him become legal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tRELATED<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Montanans\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Montanans protest ICE, Trump\u2019s immigration policies<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t

Members of Montana\u2019s all-GOP federal delegation have called for an investigation into Alex Pretti\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Amanda Eggert<\/a><\/span> and Tom Lutey<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t