Anger and disbelief are rippling through the small northeastern Montana town of Froid after U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a well-known business owner, youth coach, and father of four on a federal immigration warrant.
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Roberto Orozco-Ramirez, 42 years old , was taken into custody Sunday night after turning himself in to the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office, following days of reported surveillance by federal agents. Community members say the arrest has shaken the town of fewer than 200 people, where Orozco and his family have lived for more than a decade.
"I understand Border Patrol has a job to do, but this isn't somebody you don't know. This isn't somebody that was on the FBI's most wanted list," said Keith Nordlund, a Froid resident whose child attends school with Orozco’s. “It's tough to see that happen in our little neck of the woods."
Orozco owns and operates Orozco Diesel, a trucking and repair business that residents say has played a critical role in keeping school buses and farm equipment running in the rural area. He has also coached local youth sports and is widely described by neighbors as a devoted father and hardworking mechanic.
"Built a thriving business. He and his boys built it from the ground up, physically built the building from the ground up," said Marvin Qualley, who drives a bus for Froid Public Schools.
According to a sworn affidavit from a border patrol agent, Orozco was previously removed from the United States in 2009 and is accused of illegally re-entering the country. The documents also allege he was previously identified as a member of the Sureños gang during an encounter in Utah, though they acknowledge he has no criminal history in Montana or elsewhere.
Orozco, who was identified as Orozco-Ramirez in court documents, was first approached by Border Patrol intelligence agents at his business on January 16, according to federal records.
Agents allege that he became suspicious, refused entry, and made threats as they were leaving, including throwing a piece of lumber at the “direction of the agent’s vehicle.” Orozco now faces federal charges of illegal re-entry and threatening a federal officer.
Neighbors, however, question the tactics used by federal agents and said Orozco’s family had been under surveillance for over a week leading up to the arrest.
"Especially when they started parking on either side of the approach to his business, we obviously knew something was going on right away," said Nordlund. "It got so bad the past week, I think it was Tuesday, the kids quit going to school because they were being followed and harassed by Border Patrol that much."
Fearing the situation could escalate, Roosevelt County Sheriff Jason Frederick stepped in to mediate between federal agents and Orozco’s attorney, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. Orozco surrendered peacefully on Sunday evening and is being held at the Roosevelt County jail, awaiting transport to a federal facility.
"It's important to note that the man and his family have been productive members of the community and have had no negative interactions with local law enforcement since they moved here over a decade ago. The man posed no danger to the community at any point during this incident," the release states.
The Border Patrol operation was conducted independently of local law enforcement and did not involve U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the release said.
The arrest comes amid heightened national attention on immigration enforcement, with tensions rising in Minnesota after two American citizens were shot and killed by ICE agents.
“You read about this sort of thing happening in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, all over. Whoever dreamed it would happen in Northeast Montana to the hardest working man I've ever known?” said Qualley. "It's just really hard to see the family get broke up.”
Alex Rate, deputy director and legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, said Orozco’s arrest reflects a broader pattern of increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement in the state and the country.
“We're seeing our friends and neighbors, children, detained and deported, and that's fundamentally un-American," said Rate. "We are definitely in uncharted territory today.”
Rate worries tactics and civil liberties violations could increase if immigration crackdowns become more prominent in local communities.
"We have seen more aggressive immigration and customs enforcement, so ICE actions being undertaken in places like the Flathead, in places like Gallatin County," said Rate. "Whether you are in Montana or Minneapolis or Florida, everyone should be gravely concerned that constitutional rights are being thrown out the window by federal immigration officials."
"I'm just kind of frustrated with our government anymore with their apathy towards people," said Qualley. “I know there's a lot bigger fish in the sea to fry other than Roberto Orozco," said Qualley.
Back in Froid, residents have begun raising money for Orozco’s legal fees, with a donation jar appearing at a local store. High school athletes have shown solidarity by writing “Orozco” on their wrists during games, neighbors said.
"I've had to have some tough talks with my own children. My boy at 15, soon to be 16, I think was naïve to the fact that people might be here illegally, and now to watch his best friend's dad be hunted like some sort of a predator and watch his friends be chased down and treated like that," said Nordlund. "It's hard to explain that to young kids."
Nordlund said the town is now focused on keeping Orozco’s family together.
"We now know he was here illegally, but we want to do what we can to get in here legally, and we're asking for help, whether it be from our local representatives, our local senators, any politicians, people that know something, to help guide us through this and help us," said Nordlund. "We judge people based on their character, not on the color of their skin."
As Orozco awaits the next steps in federal custody, many in Froid say the case has left them frustrated and fearful, but also more united.
"Our little community, we all stand behind Roberto," said Nordlund. "We want him to become legal, but we want him back in our community."
