Leonardo doesn’t like to leave his house anymore.  

He doesn’t go to the gym, like he used to, or to the lake with friends. Grocery shopping is a source of fear. He has heard too many stories lately of men like him, immigrants from Latin America, disappearing into the custody of the federal government. 

The 32-year-old Venezuelan native does not have a criminal record, nor did he enter the United States illegally. After a leaving his home country due to political persecution, he spent six months in Mexico City, waiting to receive an appointment through the CBP One app so he could immigrate to Kalispell with a legal parole status. 

But now, Leonardo isn't sure where he stands with the U.S. government. The last thing he wants to do is chance an encounter with federal immigration authorities. 

In April, Leonardo received an email from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security notifying him his parole status was being terminated, more than one year ahead of the original end date. He has a pending asylum case, which would normally prevent any deportation proceedings from being carried out against him, but the quickfire changes to immigration policy under the Trump administration make that assurance far less certain. 

“It’s panic inducing, anxiety inducing,” said Leonardo, who spoke to the Inter Lake under a pseudonym due to fears of retribution. “Really, what happens is every day it feels like there is something new we have to come up against. So, we never know what’s happening.” 

Leonardo’s conundrum is increasingly common. The most recent census data estimates that 522 non-citizens live in Flathead County, with most coming from either North America or Latin America. That count includes lawful residents in the United States, such as green card holders, as well as those that qualify for a non-permanent protective status. People without a legal immigration status are also included, though a 2022 report from Pew Research Center estimated only about 15% of Montana’s immigrant population, totaling fewer than 5,000 people, fell into that category. 

It's likely the number of people considered to be in the state illegally has increased in recent months, not because of an influx of migrants, but due to the Trump administration's efforts to revoke some immigration statuses. 

In May, the Supreme Court upheld the administration’s ability to revoke the lawful parole status of 500,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan immigrants. Some parolees under other programs, including many that applied for parole through the CBP One app, have received emails similar to Leonardo’s, informing them that their status has been terminated ahead of the original end date. 

Kari Hong, an immigration attorney with more than 25 years of experience, said the revocation of legal statuses has heightened confusion and fear within many immigrant communities. 

“I think there’s an enormous amount of fear right now,” she said. “There’s just a level of fear that I’ve never seen before in my career.” 

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, Hong has spent much of her free time offering pro-bono legal advice at community events to alleviate what she categorized as a “dire shortage of immigration knowledge.”  

“People are desperate for information,” she said. “Citizens want to help.” 

IN JUNE, Hong joined four other lawyers in the gymnasium at Northridge Lutheran Church in Kalispell for one such “Know Your Rights” event. Over the course of the day, attorneys met with attendees one-on-one. Some needed help checking their legal status. Others filled out paperwork, such as power of attorney forms, to help ensure their affairs were in order if they were unexpectedly detained. 

Dozens of volunteers provided attendees with insights and advice on local immigrant-friendly resources such as food banks, health clinics and English language classes. Fold-out tables lined one side of the gym, laden with informational flyers for participants to take home. 

Cortnie Brooks, the main organizer behind the event, said her goal was to foster a sense of “community and comradery” for local immigrant communities. 

“We’ve seen an uptick in community support that’s very local, very community-based,” she said. “So, we want our immigrant community to know that there’s support there.” 

Involved with local immigrant communities for nearly a decade, Brooks said the Trump administration’s approach to immigration pushed her toward direct advocacy work. In April, she organized her first “Know Your Rights” event in Kalispell. About 75 people attended, and another 50 showed up for a second event that Brooks organized in early June.  

The most recent event, held on June 29, included about 25 participants. Brooks suggested the dip in participation may be due to increasing fears about appearing in public and said that she knows of several local immigrants that are now scared to leave their homes. 

Still, Brooks deemed the June event a success. 

“It was an incremental step in allowing people to take back whatever power they have,” she said. “And that means knowing what rights they have." 

NEARLY 37,000 people were booked into federal detention centers last month, according to data gathered by Syracuse University researchers, but many advocates fear more detainments could be on the horizon after Congress approved a 300% increase in the annual detention budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcment earlier this month. 

Despite the risks, Leonardo said he plans to stay in Kalispell while he waits for his asylum application to be reviewed. Returning to Venezuela is too dangerous, he said, as he would be considered a traitor for leaving and face even more extreme persecution than before. Besides, he likes living in Montana. He enjoys the snow in the winter and the mountains on the horizon.  

“I’m here to stay in this country,” he said. “So, we’ll just have to wait and see how all of this turns out.” 

Reporter Hailey Smalley may be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].

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