On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, a federal district court judge in Montana ordered the release of David Cortes-Torres, who was arrested without cause by masked ICE agents as part of a dragnet operation targeting Latinos in the Bozeman area. David, who is 20 years old and the primary caregiver for his grandmother, has no criminal record of any kind.
After arresting David on Monday, June 29, ICE transported him to Helena, where he was detained for over 24 hours in a 200 square foot room at the Helena airport with 17 other people, no bedding, and no access to counsel. ICE agents repeatedly attempted to coerce David to sign a self-deportation agreement, which he refused to do. ICE agents handcuffed, waist-shackled, and foot-shackled David while transporting him to Great Falls, where he has remained in custody at the Cascade County Detention Facility for the last six days.
Upper Seven Law, a Montana-based nonprofit law firm, filed a habeas petition seeking David’s release on Wednesday, July 1.
