Bozeman, MT – On May 1, around 50 students walked out of Gallatin High School during third period, joining a growing wave of protests against ICE and its impact on immigrant communities. The walkout was organized by senior Charlotte Haslam as part of her senior project and as an effort to mobilize students in what she described as a politically divided school environment.

As the bell rang, students streamed out of the building and assembled near the front entrance before marching toward a nearby park. While the demonstration remained peaceful, it drew visible opposition. A group of students briefly followed the group while mocking them with unrelated signs, while passing vehicles, one displaying a Trump flag, recorded the protesters.

For many participants, the issue of immigrant rights is very close to home. Some cited family ties to immigrants, while others pointed to broader political concerns and the growing fear in the national climate.

Haslam emphasized, “That’s what the government is trying to do to us at this point, scare us into silence and fearmonger people into compliance.”

Haslam continued, “I would tell students, you know, don’t be afraid. Don’t quiet yourself. Don’t make yourself smaller. Just do whatever feels right to you.”

“It’s just so devastating to see children being taken from their parents and seeing people get killed by the government,” Haslam said. “I have Hispanic friends whose parents are immigrants, and it’s so sad to watch them stay in their houses because they’re scared to go outside just to go shopping. It’s a horrible, horrible thing that we’re witnessing.”

At the park, Haslam addressed the crowd, calling for public resources to be directed toward healthcare, education, and working-class communities rather than immigration enforcement. She encouraged those in attendance to remain politically active beyond the demonstration.

School officials stated that students are permitted to exercise their First Amendment rights, though those who left class without an excuse would receive an unexcused absence in accordance with school policy. For the attendees, however, the consequences were secondary to the demonstration itself. The walkout, they said, was about proving that even in a conservative environment, students are willing to speak out.

Haslam encouraged students to continue organizing, and to continue fighting back against fear and silence. “If you have a passion for something and really believe in it, and really want to make a change, don’t let anything stop you,” she said.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #Featured #Highschool #Walkout

Bozeman, MT – On Friday, May 1, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Bozeman and Montana State University's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally in support of workers and immigrants’ rights.

The rally featured FRSO Bozeman member Homa Masood, a spokeswoman from Gallatin County’s Community Rapid Response organization (CRR-GC), and SDS member Evan Minadakis, who spoke to 70 enthusiastic protesters, who held signs that proclaimed, “Immigrants built America” and “Trump is a fraud!” A large banner read “No war, no ICE, no billionaires!”

Masood told the crowd, “May Day isn't just about naming oppression. It's about recognizing power, challenging it, and forcing it back into our hands! Every victory in the history of working people came from organization, solidarity and struggle, and that remains true today!”

CRR-GC's spokeswoman attacked the dangerous 287(g) agreement between Gallatin County and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which allows individuals in Gallatin County’s Detention Center who are eligible for release to be held for an additional 48 hours and ultimately be turned over into ICE custody.

FRSO Bozeman’s Julian Staggs spoke to draw attention to the Gallatin High School walkout held earlier that day. About 50 students walked out of class and gathered outside to protest the nationwide ICE raids of terror unleashed by the federal government against the immigrant communities of the United States and stand in solidarity with those communities.

Evan Minadakis brought forward their SDS chapter's recent victory in kicking Customs and Border Protection out of the university's spring Career Fair, focusing on exemplifying for all that the change created by the organized people may truly move mountains.

“Do not let them convince you that you are weak. do not let them convince you that you have no power,” Minadakis said. “Every single person out here today has the ability to shift the tides, to make waves so massive that they take down any forces that try to stand in their way. Progress isn't something we wish for, it is something we fight for! And until every single corrupt, oppressive billionaire is wiped from this earth, we will continue to fight for progress, and we will continue to win!”

The protest’s final chant was one of “Revolution! Revolution! Revolution! Revolution!” International Worker’s Day is a day for celebration of the worker and the oppressed nationalities of the world, and it is a day to intensify the struggle. Bozeman has begun to walk the road to liberation!

#BozemanMT #MT #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #FRSO #SDS #StudentMovement

Billings, MT – On Friday, May 1, the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR) held a protest at the Yellowstone County Courthouse to celebrate International Workers’ Day. 40 people rallied to demand ICE get out of Billings, stop the deportations, and to fight for workers’ and immigrants’ rights.

As the rally was beginning, a pro-ICE disrupter stumbled around the crowd, belligerently shouting anti-immigrant statements. Protesters quickly shut this down by chanting “Up, up with liberation! Down, down with deportations!” and blocking the man with their bodies and signs. The racist counter-protester quickly gave up and walked into traffic to shout by himself on the opposite side of the road. Rally-goers celebrated and held that militant and enthusiastic energy for the rest of the protest.

Mindy Nielsen, a member of BAIR and retired, forty-plus year rank-and-file member of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 132 addressed the crowd first. Nielsen spoke about the 46-year-old Amazon warehouse worker in Oregon who died while working. His peers were forced to continue working as his body lay on the floor for over an hour before medics were called.

Nielsen recalled similar treatment working at USPS, saying, “The lack of concern for workers was the same before I retired. We were not allowed to call 911, even if we could find a phone with an outside line. And this was before cell phones. My APWU union was able to stop that insanity!”

Delphine Camarillo, granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and executive board member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 775 has worked as a homecare giver for 34 years. She spoke about the protection for immigrant workers won by her union.

“We formed immigration working committees and added language to our contract to protect those who need it. Our employees will not cooperate with ICE any more than they have to according to the real and pre-existing laws,” Camarillo stated. She closed her speech by chanting “When we fight, we win!” with the crowd.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) member Lain Dorsey, gave the final speech, explaining the logic behind Trump’s attacks. “Donald Trump is a reactionary! The cuts to social services, launching illegal wars, and using ICE to terrorize immigrants is a reaction to the progress that we’ve made for workers’ and immigrants’ rights.”

Dorsey continued, “Trump and his billionaire friends want to turn back the clock on the progress our movements have made. Are we gonna let them do that?” Protesters shouted “Hell no!”

May Day is a celebration of the contributions of labor activists, but it is also a reminder that the struggle continues. This was highlighted as the workers, union members and family members of immigrants closed the protest by invoking the late Assata Shakur, chanting, “We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

#BillingsMT #MT #Labor #ImmigrantsRights #MayDay

Bozeman, MT – On March 13, Montana State University students and community members disrupted the “Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Montana” open house held at the EngineWorks building on Montana State University’s Innovation Campus, to protest the university’s ties to military research and surveillance technologies that assist Israel’s war on Iran and the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

The disruption was organized by Students Against Genocide (SAG). The group formed earlier this year in response to MSU’s research relationships with defense agencies and corporations whose technologies contribute to war crimes, surveillance and state violence.

SAG has focused particular attention on MSU’s Innovation Campus, which is operated by the MSU Alumni Foundation and Charter Realty – it hosts research facilities and private corporate tenants involved in war-related work. Among them is the site of Friday’s protest, the EngineWorks building, which hosts companies specializing in intelligence and surveillance technology.

According to SAG, some of these companies have direct links to Israeli military operations. One such tenant, Reveal Technology, confirmed in a public statement in 2024 that its Farsight intelligence software was being used by the Israel Defense Forces.

Shortly after the open house event began, the activists entered the auditorium. Several held Palestinian flags and signs reading “Stop the U.S. war on Iran.”

One protester took the stage with a megaphone and addressed the crowd, saying, “This facility is complicit in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the genocide of the Palestinians. End the war on Iran right now!” Security quickly intervened and pushed the protesters out of the auditorium. As the activists were removed from the building, they continued chanting, “Disclose, divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!”

After being forced out of the building, the students regrouped on a nearby sidewalk outside the EngineWorks building. There, they continued chanting and holding signs condemning U.S. and Israeli violence against Palestinians and Iran.

During the picket, an Innovation Campus official approached the students and asked them to stop chanting, claiming they should “have respect” for the event being hosted inside. Protesters refused, noting the hypocrisy of demanding “respect” for an event promoting technologies linked to the killing of over 70,000 Palestinians and the missile strike that killed around 150 Iranian schoolgirls in Minab.

One protester and MSU student, Julian Staggs, now faces Student Code of Conduct violation charges for involvement in the protest. When asked about his conduct charges, Staggs stated, “Repression faced by Palestine activists in the U.S. is nothing compared to the repression the people of Palestine face on a daily basis, which is facilitated by technologies developed here. I’m proud to have so many friends and supporters with Students Against Genocide to stand alongside me.”

Students Against Genocide has been organizing throughout the semester to pressure Montana State University to adopt enforceable ethics policies governing military and surveillance research, cut ties with companies connected to genocide, and disclose all research funding sources and corporate partnerships connected to the Innovation Campus.

They say they plan to continue protesting until the university addresses their demands and ends its involvement in research and partnerships that support war and occupation.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement

Billings, MT – On March 7, about 20 people rallied to celebrate International Women’s Day and to stand with immigrant women. The action was organized by the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR) and took place on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn.

Protesters learned about the ongoing violations of immigrant women’s bodily autonomy that occur at ICE detention centers, including forced sterilization and sexual assault. This issue was tied to the ongoing battle for reproductive rights in the U.S., which have been gutted in the past few years, through the overturning of Roe v. Wade and restrictive laws at the statewide level.

The protest also highlighted women who were victims of ICE murder, including Renee Good and Linda Davis. Good and Davis were killed during ICE operations, and the agents involved have yet to be brought to justice. Protesters chanted “Justice for Renee Good! ICE out of our neighborhoods!” and “Justice for Linda Davis! Down with ICE! Down with racists!”

Local artist and BAIR member Isabella Franklin spoke to the crowd, noting that it was her first protest and saying, “I came here because I am sick and tired of the dehumanization that is happening under the Trump administration!”

Franklin continued, “I come from a Black woman and a Mexican father. My family has been subjected to racism and terror in our community because of the propaganda from the Trump administration!”

At the rally, BAIR continued to push their demands of no Billings PD cooperation with ICE, just as the group has been during city council meetings. On the issue, BAIR co-founder Lain Dorsey said, “Billings Police Lieutenant Samantha Puckett has already said that the police would work with ICE if asked to.”

The crowd shouted “Shame!” One rallygoer said “Those are our tax dollars!”

Dorsey responded, “Our taxes are supposed to be going to Billings PD to protect and serve our community! But Billings PD signing a 287(g) agreement would mean our tax dollars are being used for our police to take part in ICE terror!”

The courthouse lawn, across the street from the Billings Police Department, rang out with chants of “Hey Billings PD! No 287(g)!”

The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights will continue putting pressure on the city and Billings PD to not sign onto a 287(g) agreement with ICE. To join BAIR in their efforts, attend the upcoming city council meeting on Monday, March 9 at 5:30 p.m Follow the group on Facebook or Instagram @Billings_AIR for more information.

#BillingsMT #MT #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #ImmigrantRights

Billings, MT – Billings activists gathered on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn on the evening of February 28 to demand an immediate end to the war on Iran. Organized by members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the protest was in response to the late-night bombing of multiple schools in Iran, killing over at least 200 people, including 100 schoolgirls.

The crowd stood in disbelief and anger at the horrific attack, chanting “We won’t buy your lies again! No war with Iran!”

Event emcee and FRSO member Lain Dorsey stated, “While Donald Trump and his capitalist friends are waging war against the people of Iran, war is being waged on our cities here! Trump is sending ICE to kidnap, brutalize, and murder us in the streets, so we share the same enemy as Iranians.”

Dorsey continued, “This won’t end when Trump leaves office. The Biden administration funded Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Republican or Democrat in office, the same shit will continue to happen! We need a workers’ party that can defeat U.S. imperialism and bring about world peace! FRSO is working to build that party.”

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is working to build the people’s movements and fight Trump’s agenda on all fronts. To get involved, sign up at frso.org/join.

#BillingsMT #MT #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Bozeman, MT – At Montana State University, Students for a Democratic Society won their campaign to have U.S. Customs and Border Patrol kicked out of the university's spring career fair.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) initiated their campaign on February 12, with a rally calling for the removal of CBP, the agency responsible for the murder of Alex Pretti. Students also did multiple “call-ins” to the university’s Career Office and were planning a protest of the career fair itself, if CBP was allowed to participate.

“Wednesday evening, we heard from Dean of Students Matt Caires that CBP would no longer be attending the career fair.” SDS said in a public statement released on their Instagram, “Through rallying, calling in, contacting employers, and planning a protest at the career fair students made their voice clear: We want CBP out!”

“Data gathered on the death and abuse perpetrated by CBP agents from 2010 to today show that a reported 367 people have died as a result of an encounter with at least one of these federal agents,” said SDS member Evangelia Minadakis at the organization's February 12 rally. “We will not stand to see those around us become mercenaries for these cruel systems, and we will not stand to allow our university to encourage these connections.”

This campaign came after the supposed end of operation Metro Surge, where ICE and CBP entered Minneapolis, in the wake of unsupported claims of widespread fraud, resulting in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and a widespread resistance movement by the people of Minneapolis.

“Due to popular resistance in Minneapolis, ICE and CBP have temporarily pulled back,” SDS said in a public statement, “However, when the enemy retreats, we pursue!”

SDS Vice President Homa Masood stressed the importance of placing continued pressure on ICE and CBP, “While the Trump administration tries to intimidate the people from standing up against these agencies, we instead say that it is right to rebel against ICE, and that only by directly challenging them everywhere they show up, can we put an end to their terror.”

SDS says they plan to continue organizing at MSU and in the Bozeman community for a sanctuary campus and an end to any collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration enforcement.

You can follow Montana State University's SDS chapter’s activities @sdsmontanastate on Instagram.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #SDS #Imm8grantRights

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.

#BillingsMT #MT #ImmigrantRights #ICE #BAIR #Featured

Bozeman, MT – On Friday, January 23, students and community members gathered to protest Montana State University’s ties to military research and surveillance technologies connected to Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, and demanding the university cut ties with genocide-linked institutions and corporations.

The protest, organized by Students Against Genocide (SAG), took place outside the administrative building, Montana Hall, where attendees held signs condemning U.S.-funded Israeli military operations and called on university leadership to adopt enforceable ethics policies governing research and corporate partnerships.

SAG, a student-led campaign composed of MSU students and Bozeman residents, says the university’s research relationships and leasing practices directly contradict its public mission. As Montana’s land-grant university and an R1 research institution, MSU holds a responsibility to ensure its influence is not used to enable war crimes, mass surveillance, or state violence.

“We are here because what is happening in Gaza is not distant, abstract, or disconnected from our lives,” said Homa Masood, a member of Students Against Genocide, in a speech at the protest. “It is enabled by systems, institutions, and technologies that exist right here – including at universities that claim to stand for knowledge, ethics and human dignity.”

Speakers highlighted the MSU Innovation Campus, which is operated by the MSU Alumni Foundation and Charter Realty and hosts a range of research facilities and private corporate tenants. Among them is the Applied Research Laboratory, a classified research facility conducting defense-related research, as well as private companies specializing in military intelligence and surveillance technology.

According to SAG, MSU conducts research for agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Energy across multiple departments and university-owned facilities. The group’s investigation also identified companies leasing space on the Innovation Campus that develop surveillance and intelligence software use