A picturesque Montana town has become an unexpected hotbed of a US immigration surge, sparking a backlash from a far-right group of residents.
Once a quiet backwater known for its small-town charm, Bozeman is now one of the fastest-growing small cities in the country.
With a population of around 56,000 people, the city’s economy has grown exponentially and thousands of jobs have been created. But some long-time residents fear their community is being destroyed.
Schools are struggling to cope with the influx of multilingual children, while locals say the price tag is preventing them from staying at home.
A small but vocal minority has directed its anger against immigrants themselves, with reports of a rise in hate crimes against the Latino community.
The picturesque mountain town of Bozeman, Montana, has become an unexpected hotbed of America’s immigration surge, sparking a backlash from a far-right group of residents.
Bozeman became popular because of its access to outdoor activities in Yellowstone National Park.
Some locals have even blamed the popular television series ‘Yellowstone,’ starring Kevin Costner, for romanticizing the Mountain West and attracting an influx of wealthy out-of-towners.
However, the first wave of migration came not from the southern border of the United States, but from Montana’s western neighbors.
Hundreds of wealthy Americans from left-leaning states like California, Oregon and Colorado moved to Bozeman and Gallatin County in the wake of the pandemic.
They were drawn by the town’s proximity to Yellowstone National Park and Big Sky, an exclusive ski town home to the Yellowstone Club, whose members include Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
Some locals have even blamed the popular TV series “Yellowstone,” starring Kevin Costner, for romanticizing the mountains of the West.
They’re angry that dozens of tech and software companies have taken over their once working-class neighborhood, while the average home now sells for $770,000.
“There are a lot of out-of-towners who have some money and are willing to pay more than the asking price,” said Dylan Heintz, 28, who grew up in the city. The New York Times“That definitely hurts people.”
Bozeman’s population has grown 50 percent in a decade, leading to an increase in bumper stickers proclaiming “Montana is full.”
But the wealthy families now occupying these new homes have brought with them a second, completely different wave of immigrants.
Their demands for the luxury amenities they left behind, from high-end restaurants to luxury homes, are labor-intensive.
And to do so, Bozeman, like much of America, has turned to a growing group of people. of undocumented immigrants.
The Latino share of Gallatin County’s population has grown nearly 140 percent, from 2.8 percent to 5 percent, between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. Census data.
This is believed to be an underestimate as it does not include 2021, the year of the largest growth for Bozeman real estate.
As many as 723 immigrants with immigration cases have settled in Gallatin County, and about a third of them come from Honduras, according to The Washington Post’s analysis of immigration court data.
Others have come from countries like Guatemala, Peru and Venezuela.
The number of students needing additional English instruction has doubled in a matter of years to 350.
Their arrival has transformed Bozeman seemingly overnight.
Now the sleek, modern homes of Bozeman’s new West Coast imports sit alongside the trailer homes and tent encampments that house the city’s poor Latino population.
A new Whole Foods serves half the newcomers, while rows of taco trucks feed the rest.
Bozeman has become an unlikely destination for immigrants from Central and South America.
Hundreds of wealthy Americans from left-leaning states like California, Oregon and Colorado moved to Bozeman and Gallatin County in the wake of the pandemic.
Luxury farmhouse rentals are only going up in price in the area, and this property is available for nearly $250 per night.
But locals are angry that their once working-class neighborhood has been taken over by dozens of tech and software companies, while the average home now sells for $770,000.
In some ways, Bozeman is thriving.
Hispanic immigrants contributed more than $300 million in economic benefits to the city in 2022, according to a study by South NorthNexus, a nonprofit that provides legal assistance in Montana.
But not everyone is happy.
A group of ultra-conservative residents has formed Take Back Bozeman, which denounces what is seen as growing “anti-white” and “anti-Christian” sentiment across the country.
Their Facebook page, which has 1,200 followers, describes the group as an assembly of “concerned citizens doing everything they can to NOT make us like Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, SF or even Boise.”
He criticizes the “rapidly growing Hispanic presence” in Bozeman, saying the effects are mostly “undesirable,” and that sectors of the economy are becoming Latino “enclaves.”
The group maintains, without presenting empirical evidence, that immigrants will bring “blatant” crimes “representative of the places they come from.”
One post adds: ‘If you choose to come here, you are choosing a predominantly white city, with its own culture and its own norms, where we speak English and you should too, and if you don’t know Christ, we will be happy to introduce you to him.’
Take Back Bozeman is responsible for multiple threats to local immigration workers, according to High Country News.
The group regularly posts comments about Bienvenidos, the city’s largest migrant aid group, including the names and faces of its workers, as well as news about crimes committed by migrants.
In one such incident, a fight at a downtown bar ended with two Hispanic men attacking a man with knives and hammers, leaving him with cuts over most of his body and a deep laceration on his face.
Gallatin County arrest records indicate both suspects are subject to an immigration detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as an ICE hold, according to local outlet CBS.
Commenting on the February incident, Bozeman Police Detective Capt. McNeil appeared to echo the concerns of certain residents.
“I think as we grow as a city, we’re going to see more violent crime,” he said. “And we’re going to have more problems like this.”
The pandemic caused wealthy city dwellers to buy additional homes in tourist areas like Bozeman, where they could spend the lockdown. The figures are correct at the beginning of June
He is not the only local official to have raised the alarm.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said in January that he and his deputies were seeing an increasing number of illegal immigrants in the community, with six people placed on ICE hold.
It has become a hot topic across Montana, with Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke criticizing the Biden administration following news that five migrants, reportedly from Venezuela, had been flown to the small town of Kalispell, County Flathead, from New York.
“The only way an illegal immigrant from South America will end up in Montana is if a ‘non-profit’ linked to the Biden Administration moves them there,” Zinke said in a statement.
‘Montana’s law enforcement, schools, hospitals and safety nets are stretched to the limit by Biden’s border crisis. It is unacceptable and absolutely must end now.’
But aid groups have pushed back, blaming local officials for fueling anti-immigrant sentiment and a rise in hate crimes.
A Bienvenidos volunteer told High Country News she saw a white girl throw a trash can at a Latina student and call her “Mexican trash” at a high school.
Rosa, who fled gang violence in Honduras in 2020 with her husband, Luis, told High Country News that she was worried about what this environment was doing to her youngest daughter.
“The bus takes her home and then she locks herself in her room,” he said.