Billings, MT – On July 10, the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR) gathered in protest of an ICE agent’s murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas. The protesters rallied on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn, chanting “Justice for Lorenzo! ICE terror’s got to go!”

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, immigrated from Mexico 35 years ago and built a life in the U.S. He was a husband, father of three, and a construction worker. Lorenzo’s son, Ronaldo Salgado, spoke out on July 8, describing his father as a “hardworking family man” who “dedicated his life in the United States to give his family the American Dream.” Like many others before Salgado Araujo’s death, he and his family were robbed of that dream under the Trump administration’s racist mass deportation campaign.

Brooke Lynn, a member of BAIR, gave a powerful speech, stating “They lied to you and told you they were going after criminals, but they’re killing family men with no criminal record!” Lynn continued, “It’s criminal that we have two ‘democratic’ parties that both have failed our neighbors trying to live a better life.”

During the rally, a member of BAIR read the names of those who died at the hands of ICE. Included were those who died from neglect and maltreatment in detention, as well as those murdered by ICE in the streets.

The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights demands justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and all victims of ICE terror. BAIR will continue to fight for a sanctuary city in Billings, in order to limit ICE’s ability to operate in the city and prevent residents from being targeted for their immigration status.

To get involved in the fight, come to BAIR’s planning meetings, held every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Billings Public Library large conference room. Follow BAIR on Facebook or Instagram @Billings_AIR to stay informed.

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Billings. MT – On Friday, June 26, around 30 community members rallied outside of Billings’ Emmanuel Baptist Church to protest the far-right organization Turning Point USA's “Make Heaven Crowded” event. Protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside of the church parking lot, holding signs and chanting against TPUSA's reactionary rhetoric being spread to their community.

The protest was organized by the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR), and supported by Billings Visibility Brigade, Montana State University Students for Democratic Society (SDS), and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Homa Masood, a member of BAIR and the protest's emcee stated, “Billings is a place that is welcoming, a place that is accepting of immigrants. It is not a place for discrimination, it is not a place for hatred, it is not a place for TPUSA!”

Billings has a history of community members fighting back against white supremacy. In 1993, the “Not in Our Town” movement was sparked by a wave of racist hate crimes being committed around the city. This year, a mural on Billings’ south side celebrating diversity was graffitied with swastikas. On Juneteenth, an event was held to repaint the mural. In the past and present, Billings residents demonstrate that they will not tolerate hate.

BAIR member Andreas Storey told the crowd, “After the death of Charlie Kirk, a Billings resident was seen driving around town in a truck with an American flag and swastikas, and ‘Thank you Charlie’ painted on the gate of the truck bed,” Storey recalled. “We will not tolerate the hate that TPUSA seeks to bring into our community!”

Beginning in January, the “Make Heaven Crowded” tour's first stop was in Los Angeles, with Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, headlining the event. The tour is described by TPUSA as nights of worship meant for those who “need hope.” The tour is touted as apolitical, a line that was repeated by Emmanuel Baptist Pastor Paul Jones in an interview with KULR8 leading up to the event. But at the stop in LA, Erika Kirk called anti-ICE protests in the wake of the murder of Renee Good “demonic,” making it very clear that these events are anything but apolitical.

A Montana State SDS member slammed TPUSA, “They would have you believe that Christ demands the expulsion and persecution of your neighbor. We recognize a lie when we see it!”

FRSO member Lain Dorsey spoke on the reason for Turning Point attempting to rebrand under their “TPUSA Faith” branch.

“They know that they’re unpopular. They know that the people stand against them and so they sugar coat what they’re really about.” Dorsey continued, “If the Proud Boys started putting on dog shows, they would still be a fascist organization! This is no different.”

After Dorsey's speech, she asked the crowd, “Do ya’ll think they can hear us?” The crowd shouted back “No!” Dorsey responded, “Should we get a little closer?” “Hell yeah!” cheered the crowd.

The group then marched closer to the venue chanting, “Turning Point, turn around! We don't want you in our town!” As they began marching into the church parking lot entrance, protesters were met with four armed security guards and a Billings PD officer, threatened with trespassing, and forced back onto the sidewalk.

Kyndra Millar spoke to the crowd, “We came here to protest peacefully, and we were met with firearms!” she roared. The crowd condemned the threat of force with shouts of “Shame!”

Despite intimidation, the protest continued until after the conclusion of the TPUSA event. Protesters rallied for three and a half hours, making their opposition known as the TPUSA audience members left the parking lot.

To get involved with the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights, planning meetings are held every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Billings Public Library's large conference room. Follow BAIR on Facebook or on Instagram @Billings_AIR.

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Billings, MT – The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights held a protest at the Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday, January 29 in honor of Alex Pretti, who was murdered by Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis. Over 100 people turned out to support BAIR's demands that the Billings police department not sign a 287(g) agreement, justice for all victims of ICE terror, and legalization for all.

The Trump administration has praised the federal agents for their crimes and labeled civilians who fight back as “terrorists.” While the rally was called to protest the injustice of Alex Pretti’s murder, BAIR shared other stories of victims of state-sanctioned violence.

“Silverio Villegas Gonzales was a father with three children who was shot by an ICE agent in Chicago after dropping his kids off from school. The DHS tried to justify the execution by claiming self-defense. Bodycam footage and eyewitness testimony contradicted this lie!” BAIR co-founder Andreas Storey stated.

The protest received support from the Billings chapter of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. MMIP advocacy involves highlighting indigenous people who have gone missing or been murdered without their cases resolved. The work to investigate these cases has been stalled by the Trump Administration, notably its removal of the “Not Invisible Act Commission” report from the DOJ website.

The founder of MMIP Billings, Charlene ‘Charli’ Sleeper, told the crowd, “ICE and Border Patrol both have innocent U.S. citizen blood on their hands because they're poorly trained and overcompensated for incompetent work. We need to call for Kristie Noem to be removed from her position in DHS and improved funding dedicated to missing and murdered indigenous peoples. Yet here we are spending billions on ICE instead.”

Across from the protest, three men stood cosplaying as ICE agents: faces covered, bulletproof vests and tactical-style gear, each with a visibly holstered firearm. A segment of the rallygoers crossed the road to disrupt the counter-protest. Brooke Lynn, of Billings held a sign that said “Fuck ICE! Say no!” in front of the ICE supporters.

“We showed them a picture of Liam Ramos, the five-year-old from Minneapolis, they said it was AI. There was no reasoning with them. I concluded that you can’t argue with people in cults, so we shamed them and covered their signs with ours,” Lynn explained.

On that side of the road sits City Hall, which has been eyed by Billings residents as a place to demand change. Since the murders of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti, community members have been attending city council meetings to demand that local law enforcement do not sign a 287(g) agreement with ICE.

On January 26, Helena, the state’s capital city, passed a resolution that proactively limited Helena PD’s cooperation with ICE. This resolution specifically instructed Helena police to not enter a 287(g) agreement and not to stop, investigate, detain, or arrest anyone based on their suspected immigration status.

BAIR is demanding that a similar resolution be passed in the city of Billings immediately. Lain Dorsey, a BAIR co-founder said, “Council member Kendra Shaw claims that ‘state law prohibits Billings from enacting local ordinances limiting ICE.’ Well Helena just proved that that is bullshit! So the Billings city council needs to take action now!”

The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights will be mobilizing community members to the Billings City Council meeting on Monday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m. to demand that Billings PD does not cooperate with ICE. Stay updated by following BAIR on Facebook or Instagram @billings_air.

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