· Great Falls Tribune · By Matt Volz · From the Border Crossing Law Firm media archive.
This Associated Press report profiles eight Montana residents who had entered the United States without authorization but later obtained lawful permanent residence. Their sworn statements challenged LR-121's definition of an illegal immigrant, which could still encompass them despite their green cards. The men described the risk of losing essential services and being treated as second-class members of their communities.
The affidavits helped Shahid and the Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance show that LR-121's harm was not hypothetical. They brought the voices of lawful Montana residents into a case that otherwise could have remained an abstract dispute over statutory language.