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9/29/2025
Local immigration advocates continue the push for change at the city level
After months of consistent public pleading for the city commission to take a stance against federal immigration enforcement efforts in Helena, local advocates still aren’t happy with commissioners’ actions.
The public outcry started at city commission meetings soon after the July 1 detainment of Christopher Martinez Marvan, a Mexican national who was living in Helena. The operation involved several city officers alongside federal authorities and Lewis and Clark County sheriff’s deputies. Since then, advocates have spoken at commission meetings regularly, demanding transparency and trying to discourage further cooperation with federal immigration operations.
Last month, the Helena Police Department released a fact sheet detailing 13 frequently asked questions about local law enforcement’s role in federal immigration detainments. The fact sheet was prompted by residents’ repeated pleas to the Helena City Commission.
Public comment on the subject at city commission meetings has been consistent. Lily Clarke, co-leader of Montana For Palestine, is one of those who has been regularly speaking about immigration at the meetings. Clarke, along with representatives from the Helena-based activism group Waking Giant, has made several demands of the commission.
“We are saying [the demands] are fundamentally about disincentivizing Helena Police Department and the sheriff’s office from collaborating with immigration enforcement,” Clarke told Montana Free Press in a recent interview.
Brandi Swingley-Gorecki, a founding member of Waking Giant, said that the organization had met with Mayor Wilmot Collins over the summer to discuss immigration enforcement but felt that city officials’ information remains inconsistent.
“To our knowledge, leadership has not yet moved beyond broad statements of support for immigrants in our community,” Swingley-Gorecki said in a statement sent to MTFP. “As a group dedicated to building a stronger community, we will continue to call for real action from our leaders, because Helena is at its strongest when we keep each other safe.”
Collins had made remarks at the end of a city meeting July 7, after several hours of public comments from residents urging the city to take action after Martinez Marvan’s arrest. Collins told those attending that city officials take the comments seriously and that they “will do things” within their authority.
At an Aug. 4 meeting, Collins presented a proclamation supporting the assistance of immigrant communities through the local organization Hands on Global’s Helena Area Refugee Resettlement Team.
Among Waking Giant and Montana For Palestine’s demands is that local law enforcement officials request federal authorities not wear masks and identify themselves, a step the state of California took earlier this month. Waking Giant is also asking local law enforcement to not participate in immigration enforcement operations and that the city not enter into a 287(g) partnership with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
The city of Helena currently does not participate in the 287(g) Program, a national program that gives ICE authority to partner with local agencies to enforce immigration laws. Lewis and Clark County is also not enrolled in the program.
According to the city’s fact sheet, Helena does not grant authority to federal agents. Agents “may operate within city limits without identifiable uniforms or vehicles.”
Clarke said she and other advocates met with Helena City Manager Tim Burton and Helena Police Chief Brett Petty in late August to discuss the demands. That, Clarke said, led to the creation and release of the fact sheet.
While the city commission has not officially responded to the demands, Commissioner Sean Logan reshared the HPD’s factsheet on his Facebook page after last week’s meeting. He wrote that “These demands have been addressed by our police department and the answers can be found at the site listed below and in the graphics associated with this post.”
For Clarke, that’s not enough. Having new policies codified in city code would act as another layer of transparency and provide additional accountability for city police, she said.
Clarke feels disappointed in city leaders’ hesitation to speak on the immigration issue, especially with upcoming municipal elections, but she encourages the current commission and commission candidates to meet with the people who are responsible for organizing in Helena.
Public Health News
Lewis and Clark Public Health announced its continued recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines amid federal ”chaos.” In a press release last week, the local public health officials said that despite recent decisions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Drug Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), LCPH supports research and preventative measures to combat flu season.
“Many of the decisions coming from federal agencies and committees right now are not based on science, but on political ideology,” LCPH Health Officer Drenda Niemann said in the release. “ACIP experts have been replaced by people who have neither expertise or experience in virology and vaccine science. That is a tragedy for public health, because the abundance of confusion and lack of access to vaccines will assuredly result in increased disease in both our local community and our country as a whole.”
While there is still uncertainty about if COVID-19 vaccinations will be covered by insurance and who will be eligible for them, LCPH staff said they are committed to providing the best care possible for the county.
The health department has flu vaccines in stock and available to those who want them. It will also provide public vaccine clinics throughout the fall season. For more information, visit the LCPH website.
Public Notice
Beginning this week, several Helena organizations will host mayor and city commissioner candidate forums in advance for the Nov. 4 general election. Forums will include mayoral candidates Emily Dean and Andy Shirtliff, and the four commissioner candidates Haley McKnight, Ben Rigby, Shawn White Wolf and incumbent commissioner Melinda Reed.
Here are the upcoming forums:
- On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the League of Women Voters of the Helena Area, in partnership with the Helena Chamber of Commerce and AARP Montana, will host a public forum at the Opportunity Bank Conference Center, 1550 Vandelay Ave., from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Participants must register before the event, which can be done here.
- On Tuesday, Oct. 7, How the Helena will host a public forum at Ten Mile Creek Brewery, 48 N. Last Chance Gulch, starting at 5:45 p.m. MTFP reporter Mara Silvers will be moderating.
- On Thursday, Oct. 9, Hometown Helena will host a public forum at the Helena College Student Center, 1115 N. Roberts St., from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
And MTFP too!
Montana Free Press will host a forum between mayoral candidates Emily Dean and Andy Shirtliff, who are both current city commissioners. The forum is Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at Brothers Tapworks in downtown Helena. MTFP’s Holly Michels and JoVonne Wagner will moderate.
If you can’t attend the forum in person, we plan to livestream it on MTFP’s YouTube channel. We’ll share more details soon, so keep an eye on our social media channels.
If you have questions or concerns that you’d like to see addressed by the candidates, please take a few minutes to respond to our survey, which you can find here. Your questions may be asked at the forum.
4 Things to Know in Helena
The U.S. Forest Service will continue to conduct prescribed burns this week, with a planned burn for Tuesday, Sept. 30, on the Belt Creek-White Sulphur Springs Ranger District, according to Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Chiara Cipriano. The Forest Service plans to burn about 260 acres about 15 miles northeast of White Sulphur Springs. Other areas anticipated to be burned in early October include about 150 acres in the Rocky Mountain Ranger District in the Benchmark corridor west of Augusta. Visit the AirNow website for air quality and check on prescribed fire activity here.
Last week, the city commission approved a $964,990 bid to the Helena-based Vortex Services LLC for a sewer main rehabilitation project. City maintenance and engineering staff recommended using a Cured in Place Pipe, or CIPP, method for renovating dated pipes in the downtown area by the Livery Block. Because the location for rehabilitation work is in an older neighborhood, the CIPP option will have the least street and landscape impact without requiring considerable excavation, according to city staff.
The city commission also, during a meeting last week, tentatively approved rate increases for water and wastewater services. Public Works Director Ryan Leland recommended a 3.5% rate increase for city water system customers and a 4% rate increase for city wastewater customers. The 3.5% increase will add an additional $1.72 monthly charge for the average household. With the 4% wastewater increase, average residents can expect a $1.40 monthly increase in their bills. The rate changes will face a public hearing at the Oct. 20 commission meeting.
Last Monday, the Montana Environmental Trust Group and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held an open house in East Helena to provide updates regarding the former ASARCO smelter site clean-up efforts. The update included that the METG was able to complete covering the former smelter plant area with a 62-acre evapotranspirative cover system that will prevent direct exposure to contaminated soils and leaching of contaminants into groundwater. Cleanup efforts at the site have led to arsenic and selenium contaminants dropping by more than 50% since 2010, according to a recently released document.
Comings and Goings
A new Indian and Nepalese restaurant is set to open soon, with family members Sajan Boniya and Sunil Khavaa as the co-owners. Everest Indian Kitchen, 1001 Euclid Ave., will feature iconic Indian dishes and offer dietary accommodations to customers.
Boniya owns seven other Indian restaurants across the Midwest, including in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Helena is his latest addition. Montana has one other Everest Kitchen location in Whitefish, but Boniya said that while the food is similar, each chef has different recipes.
For Boniya and Khavaa, Helena was an ideal spot to set up shop, mainly because of the location. With Helena being the capital city, there is a draw for tourism. There’s also a lack of Indian-styled eateries in the area.
Khavaa, who moved to Helena this summer, will stay on as a chef. He told Montana Free Press that he is eager for the business to open and to share his take on Indian and Nepali dishes.
“ I want to tell my customer[s], when they came over here, ‘What do you want to eat?’” Khavaa said. “They’ll ask for our waiter and I’ll give my best, I’ll make happy for them, that’s my first priority.”
Boniya said that most people think Indian and Nepali cuisine is known for being spicy, but he said his chefs use many spices in their dishes.
Might Be Fun
The Helena Comedy Festival will take place Oct. 9-12 and feature more than 35 comedians from across Montana and the country. Some of the comedians’ work has been featured on major television networks and programs, including Netflix, The Daily Show and Comedy Central. Other visiting comedians specialize in different genres, from dark humor to stand-up comedy and improvisation. While ticket prices vary for each act, an all-festival pass is about $76 and available to purchase on the festival website.
Cirque Italia, a water circus, is coming to the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds, 98 W. Custer Ave., from Oct. 10-13. Tickets cost from $10 to $50 and can be purchased on the show’s website here.
