BOZEMAN — A 20-year-old man is fighting his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after masked ICE agents detained him in Bozeman on Monday.
David Cortes-Torres is the reported primary caregiver for his grandmother, who lives in the area and is receiving treatment for cancer.
According to the petition for writ of Habeas Corpus, agents allegedly held Cortes-Torres for more than 24 hours at the Helena Airport, keeping him in a small holding room on public land with more than 15 other people. His lawyers say agents pressured him to leave the country and even offered to pay him to leave voluntarily. Agents also reportedly limited his contact with his attorneys to a single three-minute phone call.
His lawyers say the arrest was part of an operation targeting Latinos in the area.
A nonprofit law firm called Upper Seven Law filed a petition in federal court on Wednesday, asking the government to defend its decision to arrest and detain Cortes-Torres. A judge ordered that he must remain in Montana until the case is resolved.
A hearing is set for Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Great Falls.
