Today, Community Rapid Response–Gallatin County, together with Indivisible Bozeman, is launching a new effort, and we hope you will join.

In Gallatin County, the primary way that ICE is detaining people is through the practice of placing a 48-hour “hold” on them at the county jail. In 2025, 84 people were transferred to ICE custody in this way, many with only minor charges and misdemeanors. The practice is ongoing. Detained people are quickly taken to Great Falls and moved out of state to detention facilities in Tacoma, Salt Lake City, and elsewhere. It is difficult for families to find loved ones and for attorneys to provide clients with representation.

(We learn every day about how unsafe these facilities are. According to data collected by the American Prospect, 52 people have died in ICE custody since the beginning of 2025.)

What is the supposed legal basis for this practice? In 2020, then County Sheriff Brian Gootkin signed what’s known as a 287g agreement with ICE.

Now we and our current county government have inherited this 287g agreement. None of us had the chance to weigh in on it or to make our voices heard. The agreement may well be invalid–no county commissioners signed it. We don’t know what it means for liability for our county, or for costs to taxpayers.

You can help change that. Tell the county commissioners you don’t want the 287g agreement. Send them an email today: commission@gallatin.mt.gov

Click here for helpful templates for your email, as well as for more resources and information.

This is an opportunity for us in Gallatin County to stand up for due process and the rule of law. We can insist on a community where everyone’s rights are respected, where we welcome the stranger and extend care to our neighbors, not punishment.

Spread the word! If you have friends or family in Gallatin County who might also want to email the commissioners, please share this information with them.