BOZEMAN — The Gallatin County Sheriff is issuing a strong warning after people tried to interfere with recent federal immigration operations in the county.
Sheriff Dan Springer says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted operations in the county over the past week. Local law enforcement officers knew about the operations in advance. Their role was to keep the community safe and support their federal partners.
Springer says the operations were successful and ended safely. However, he says local agitator groups tried to harass and obstruct law enforcement during the operations.
According to Springer, people harassed others on private property and released the personal information of uninvolved community members. Some people also followed detectives and command staff to their private homes and confronted those officers.
Springer says this behavior will not be tolerated. He says anyone who obstructs justice will be charged and held accountable, whether the interference is at the local or federal level.
The sheriff reminds the public that enforcing these laws is a matter of public safety and not a political issue.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet released the final results of the operations. Springer says there will be more federal operations in the future.
Springer says his office wants to be transparent with voters, but he will not share information that puts the community at risk or endangers officers doing their jobs.
Anyone with questions about the operations can contact the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office.
The City of Bozeman also issued a statement on Thursday, July 2, 2026:
"We are aware that federal immigration enforcement has operations in Bozeman and have received concerned comments from members of our community. For transparency, we wanted to let everyone know that we do not do civil immigration enforcement and have not assisted ICE with their operations. If you see Bozeman Police officers who happen to be near ICE, they are not assisting ICE and instead are ensuring safety for the general public. As a reminder, when our officers respond, they will be in uniform with their name and badge clearly visible. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to us."
Here's the statement Gallatin County Sheriff's Office posted on its social media:
Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
Update on Recent Federal ICE Operations
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer has issued a formal statement to inform the public regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that took place within the county over the past week.
The Sheriff’s Office and local Law Enforcement were notified of these pending federal operations. The role of local law enforcement remained indirect, focusing on maintaining community safety while respecting and supporting the specific missions and boundaries of our federal partners.
“ICE is carrying out its mission,” Sheriff Springer stated, emphasizing the enforcement of these laws is a public safety and law enforcement matter rather than a political one. Final operational outcomes have not been made public by the Department of Homeland Security. The information known at this time indicates the operation was a success and concluded safely, despite the local agitator groups’ attempts to harass, interfere, or obstruct.
The Sheriff’s Office can confirm individuals attempting to obstruct local law enforcement as well as federal law enforcement. These actions included:
* Instances of harassment on private property.
* Releasing personal information of uninvolved local community members.
* Following the detective and command staff vehicles of the Sheriff’s Office, in some cases to their private residences and confronting them.
Sheriff Springer reminds everyone, jeopardizing the safety of law enforcement, or obstructing justice – whether at a local or federal level – will not be tolerated. Individuals engaging in such behavior will be charged and held accountable.
There will be Federal LE operations in the future, as there have been many in the past, and the Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency with the voters of Gallatin County. However, operational information will only be shared at a time when it does not compromise the safety of our community or the safety of any law enforcement officers performing his or her duties.
As with any law enforcement related matter, community members are encouraged to contact the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office with questions related to these operations.
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