On January 25, 2026, Border Patrol arrested Roberto Orozco-Ramirez, who owns an auto shop in the tiny Montana town of Froid. Much to the 195 residents’ surprise, the beloved Little League coach was not in the United States legally.
Though most residents voted for President Trump and the community skews conservative, many residents have rallied around their neighbor, driving many hours to his court hearings, holding fundraisers to raise money for his four boys, and wearing jerseys with his name to sports games. The arrest has prompted many members of the town to grapple with their existing views around immigration policy.
This project follows Orozco-Ramirez’s path through the immigration and criminal justice systems, and the ripple effects in a remote agricultural community where immigration policy had long felt abstract.
Through sustained reporting and intimate photography, the Montana Free Press documents how enforcement decisions reshape daily life: the tensions at school events and where politics was once avoided, and the strain on the Orozco family, whose four sons have been thrust into public scrutiny while their mother fears leaving home.
The project also examines emerging tensions around immigration enforcement in other parts of the state and investigates why Border Patrol took the action it did. It also explains and interrogates questions and misconceptions around immigration policy in Montana.
