A Flathead Valley nonprofit filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new state law that broadens law enforcement’s ability to turn traffic stops into immigration status checks.

House Bill 278, sponsored by Rep. Nelly Nicol, R-Billings, gives law enforcement officials permission to determine a person’s immigration status during a routine stop if there is “reasonable suspicion” for doing so. If the person is determined to be in the country illegally, the law requires the officer to report them to federal immigration authorities.

Filed against the State of Montana and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the lawsuit claims that HB 278 violates the Montana Constitution. Valley Neighbors, the Kalispell-based plaintiff, alleges that since April there has been an “uptick in local law enforceme

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