MISSOULA — On Thursday in Missoula, a federal hearing was held for Christopher Martínez-Marvan, a Mexican citizen and Helena resident who was arrested by federal immigration authorities.
Martinez was in attendance on Thursday as attorneys debated what the federal government argues is a "standard immigration case."
Judge Dana Christensen, who presided over the hearing, questioned whether he had the authority to take the actions Martinez’s attorneys are asking.
BODY-CAM VIDEO OF MARTINEZ-MARVAN ARREST:
The 31-year-old man was arrested on July 1, 2025, after being pulled over for having an expired vehicle registration.
At the time of his arrest, Helena police coordinated with U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol on an arrest for Anderson DeJesus Bastidas Linares, who is accused of assault with a weapon and partner or family member assault. Homeland Security Investigations is a division of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
While conducting their search, officers saw a man they believed to match the suspect's description. Helena Police conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, which was found to have expired registration. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Christopher Martinez of Helena, not Linares.
“Not even having the chance to have, like, a solution for him or not knowing exactly where he was, was also really scary for me. So this is the first time that I've seen, the first time I've seen them since he left,” said Maria Pacheco, Martinez’s wife.
Police said in a statement that upon verifying his identity, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol discovered that he was subject to a federal detainer, and he was subsequently taken into custody by federal authorities.
Montana lawyer answers questions about immigration:
Martinez was initially transported to a federal facility in Sweet Grass and then transferred to the Cascade County Jail.
His lawyers have accused the detention of being unconstitutional, his arrest racially motivated and claim he was prevented from initially speaking with them.
“If this unlawful detention is not challenged until immigration proceedings commence and are finalized, then it essentially destroys any opportunity for Christopher to obtain relief on his unlawful detention because he will have been in detention during that entire time,” said Molly Danahy, Martinez’s attorney.
According to his family, Martinez has lived in Helena for around three years with his wife, who is an American citizen, and their children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is defending the government’s actions. They argued the actual justification for the stop was his vehicle’s expired registration and whatever else led up to it, that was a valid stop. They further argued that once authorities determined his identity and that he was in the country unlawfully, that information couldn’t be suppressed.
In a court filing, the U.S. Government alleges that Martinez had been arrested at least six times in the past for entering or being in the country unlawfully. They further allege he is under a 10-year ban from entering the country because of those arrests.
Searching through court records, MTN was able to obtain the written citation from Helena Police, which stated Martinez, “purposely caused bodily injury to the victim by pushing her and punching her in the left side of her face. The victim is the defendant’s wife.” The incident occurred in January of 2023 and resulted in Martinez being arrested for partner family member assault. Although court documents show the charge was subject to a deferred prosecution and later dismissed by prosecutors.
Thursday’s hearing in Missoula was packed with people, many of whom supported Martinez. Outside the courthouse, protesters gathered to support Martinez.
“When people are afraid, they act out and lies become a trigger. So lies are being used to trigger people against refugees and people who have come here looking for a better place to live,” said Melissa MacKenzie.
Judge Christensen said he would take this matter under advisement, but that he understood there was a need to move quickly. He asked federal attorneys to confirm that Martinez would not be removed from the U-S before he makes a decision.
