Whitefish settles racial profiling suit brought by Venezuelan man

The city of Whitefish reached a settlement agreement with a man who accused police of violating his constitutional rights and racial profiling after a traffic stop resulted in his detention in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Whitefish police said they pulled over Beker Rengifo Del Castillo for a faulty taillight in April 2025, then called U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Del Castillo was held in a federal detention center in Tacoma, Washington, for nearly a week, “a horrific and traumatic experience,” according to court documents.

Whitefish agreed to a $90,000 settlement to resolve the case against the city, Police Chief Bridger Kelch and officer Michael Hingiss, who conducted the stop.

“This should send a clear message to law enforcement agencies across Montana that untrained local police officers should not play border cop,” Andres Haladay, senior staff attorney at Upper Seven Law representing Del Castillo, said in a statement. “When police conduct immigration investigations based on the color of someone’s skin or the language they speak, it violates the constitution, breaches community trust, and wastes taxpayer dollars.”

Del Castillo, 33, is a Venezuelan citizen who was leaving a job near Whitefish Lake on April 24 last year when Hingiss stopped him, allegedly for a broken brake light, according to the lawsuit filed in August.

A statement from the law firm says that during the traffic stop, Beker presented a valid, unexpired REAL ID-compliant driver’s license along with vehicle registration and insurance documents.

But Hingiss called Customs and Border Protection “due to a language barrier,” according to the complaint, and then left Del Castillo with a federal officer to “continue” an immigration investigation. The Border Patrol agent noted that Del Castillo may have had legal status, the complaint states.

Del Castillo entered the United States in July 2024 through the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela Parole Program. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved Del Castillo’s application for work authorization on July 23, 2024, and issued him a Social Security number, according to court documents.

Del Castillo was held in the Tacoma facility for nearly a week before being released with no explanation.

The suit against the city of Whitefish included five separate counts — one count of unconstitutional seizure, one count of false arrest, one count of negligence and two counts of failure to train.

All were dismissed with prejudice.

According to a press release from the city, the terms of the settlement include no admission of wrongdoing by the city.

“The city stands firmly behind its local law enforcement officers who are tasked with performing an increasingly difficult job in rapidly changing circumstances, both on a state and federal level,” according to the press statement.

City Manager Dana Meeker said the city agreed to the settlement because the cost of continued litigation would “far exceed” the settlement amount.

The $90,000 will be paid by the city’s insurance provider, Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority.