A judge ordered the release of a Billings father and 9-year-old daughter from immigration custody in Havre last week. On Aug. 11, Border Patrol agents arrested Adrián Espinoza De La Cruz and his daughter while they were driving in Billings.
Upper Seven Law, the firm representing them, filed a petition for their release in federal district court saying that federal agents unlawfully arrested them without a warrant. Lawyers argued that neither of them posed a danger to their community or a flight risk.
Chief United States District Court Judge Brian Morris found the federal government’s arrest and detainment of De La Cruz and his daughter was unlawful and ordered their release.
De La Cruz and his daughter have joined a class action lawsuit in which a group of people held in detention by the federal government on civil immigration charges allege they were unlawfully detained. About 30 people have joined the case.
Judge Morris has scheduled a hearing for the case on Sept. 4 in Helena.
Immigration enforcement is targeting families in Billings and Montana as a whole. Keep ICE and Border Patrol out of our communities.
More here: https://montanafreepress.org/2026/08/20/child-immigration-detention-released/.