Whitefish Police officers arrested three people protesting outside the Whitefish Border Patrol Station just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday. 

Leanette Naavo Galaz, 39; Colton Kale Little, 19; and Aggie Marie Putnam, 25, were arrested Sept. 16 on pending charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, criminal trespass to property and obstructing a police officer after they linked arms and attempted to block a vehicle from leaving the federal facility.  

Protestors believe the vehicle was transporting a mother and her teenage daughter from the Whitefish Border Patrol Station to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Tacoma, Washington. 

The pair was reportedly detained on Sunday evening after arriving at the scene of a vehicle accident near where U.S. 2 and Montana 35 meet in Evergreen, said Cortnie Brooks, who received a frantic call from one of them that night.  

The mother and daughter, who protesters refer to as Luisa and Fergie, respectively, were not directly involved in the crash though both appear to have been detained at the scene, Brooks said. 

“We do not know how or why they were detained,” said Brooks, who taught Luisa English as a second language in early 2024. 

Montana Highway Patrol initially contacted Border Patrol agents because the driver of one of the vehicles in the crash lacked a driver’s license and needed translation services, according to a statement from the state law enforcement agency.  

That driver — identified by authorities as a man — and a passenger in his car were detained by Border Patrol agents, according to Montana Highway Patrol. 

Brooks said that neither Luisa or Fergie speak English fluently, and she worried the language barrier will prevent them from accessing a lawyer, even though they have a right to legal counsel under federal law. The detainment also raised concerns for Brooks because it was the first time she had heard of a minor being detained by local immigration officials.  

“It’s kind of an uptick in the way our local Customs and Border Protection is working, so that’s alarming,” she said. 

Luisa and Fergie’s immigration statuses are unknown. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for information by the Daily Inter Lake’s print deadline. 

STARTING SUNDAY night, demonstrators gathered outside the Whitefish Border Patrol Station, where Luisa and Fergie were believed to be held, to protest the detainment. While the 24-hour vigil began peacefully, tensions rose as protestors suspected Border Patrol agents were preparing to transport the mother and daughter out-of-state. 

Whitefish Police officers broke up a confrontation between Border Patrol officers and Flathead Democracy organizer Leanette Galaz about 11:30 p.m., Monday. A video posted to Flathead Democracy’s Facebook page shows Galaz standing on the sidewalk in front of the Border Patrol building’s parking lot and blocking the way of a truck attempting to exit it. 

“You’re going to have to tell me if you have them with you or you’re going to have to arrest me,” Galaz can be heard saying as the driver yells at her to move. 

The video shows Galaz continuing to walk backwards in front of the moving vehicle as it turns onto U.S. 93, telling the driver that he “better call the police.”  

No parties have been charged in connection with that confrontation. 

The following morning, around 8 a.m., protestors noticed Border Patrol officers again preparing a vehicle to depart the station. Steven Butters, one of the seven protesters present, said some people began to talk about linking arms in front of the facility's entrance. Anticipating a potentially violent encounter, he called the Whitefish Police Department and asked that officers be sent to the scene. 

While the three protestors were eventually led away in handcuffs, Butters praised the Police Department’s response. He said officers stepped in to shield protestors when Border Patrol agents tried to intervene, deescalating the situation. 

“They were a freaking godsend,” Butters said of the officers. “They stepped in and took control of the situation immediately ... They did so much today to keep people safe.” 

Video taken by Butters shows four uniformed police officers handcuffing Galaz, Little and Putnam as eight Border Patrol agents surround them. A Border Patrol vehicle can be seen turning east on U.S. 93.  

Butters said he saw two people, who he believes to be Luisa and Fergie, in the vehicle.  

The three arrested protesters are currently being held on $705 bail each. Galaz and Little are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 17. Putnam has not been scheduled for an initial court appearance. 

Butters said that protests at the Border Patrol station have been suspended as organizers determine what the next steps should be. 

In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Whitefish Police officials said the agency is investigating a report that a protestor threw plywood at a Border Patrol vehicle. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].