12-08-25, Police Department Press Release Immigration ArrestKalispell Police Department Press Release: Immigratfon Arrest
RELEASED DECEMBER 8, 2025, 2:22 PM
On December 8, 2025, Kalispell Police Department (KPD) officers responded to a motor vehicle
crash near East Oregon Street and 7th Avenue West North in Kalispell. The reportfng party
stated they were involved in a collision and that the other driver requested they “not contact
law enforcement.” Upon arrival, officers began the standard process of investfgatfng the crash,
which included the identfficatfon of all involved partfes, as required by state law, and especially
important should KPD need to issue traffic citatfons, as was the case.
One driver did not speak English, and a Spanish-speaking KPD officer responded to assist with
translatfon. One of the drivers involved was unable to provide identfficatfon and stated they had
no means of confirming their identfty. The vehicle being driven was registered to an unknown
male, with expired registratfon from another state. After KPD attempted to identffy the
individual through available local records without success, KPD contacted federal authoritfes to
assist with identfficatfon, which is standard procedure.
Federal authoritfes requested KPD detain the driver for a potentfal federal violatfon. KPD
detained the individual untfl federal agents with U.S. Border Patrol arrived. That agency took
the individual into custody.
Kalispell Police Department has a responsibility to properly identffy individuals involved in
investfgatfons, partfcularly when criminal or civil liability may be involved. KPD’s actfons in this
matter were consistent with department policy, Montana law, and standard law enforcement
practfces, including cooperatfon with federal partner agencies upon request.
Respectiully,
Jordan Venezio, Chief of Police