Wyoming — Highway Patrol 287(g) creates statewide immigration enforcement, first state police force deputized in Mountain West
Overview
On July 28, 2025, Governor Mark Gordon formalized a 287(g) Task Force Model agreement between the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) and ICE. This made Wyoming one of the first states to deputize its state highway patrol for immigration enforcement, creating a statewide enforcement net that extends well beyond the five counties with individual sheriff 287(g) agreements.
Key Details
- Agreement signed: July 28, 2025
- Model: Task Force Model (broader authority than Warrant Service Officer model)
- Authority: WHP officers can access ICE databases, determine immigration status, take enforcement action, and develop evidence against individuals violating immigration law
- Cost: No additional cost to the state; free training from ICE
- Scope: Statewide — WHP operates on all Wyoming highways
- Rollout: Phased implementation
Why This Matters
The WHP 287(g) is a force multiplier for a state with vast geography and limited ICE presence (one ERO office in Casper). Any WHP traffic stop anywhere in Wyoming can now become an immigration enforcement encounter. Combined with the five county sheriff 287(g) agreements (Campbell, Carbon, Laramie, Natrona, Sweetwater), this creates near-total coverage of Wyoming’s population centers and major highways.
The November 2025 trucker operation demonstrated how this works in practice: WHP, Laramie County Sheriff, and ICE collaborated on a 3-day operation that produced 40 deportations from commercial vehicle stops near the Colorado border.
287(g) Coverage Map
| Agency | Model | County/Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming Highway Patrol | Task Force | Statewide |
| Laramie County Sheriff | 287(g) | FIPS 56021 (Cheyenne) |
| Natrona County Sheriff | Warrant Service | FIPS 56025 (Casper) |
| Sweetwater County Sheriff | Task Force | FIPS 56037 (Rock Springs) |
| Campbell County Sheriff | Warrant Service | FIPS 56005 (Gillette) |
| Carbon County Sheriff | Under review | FIPS 56007 (Rawlins) |
Note: Carbon County’s 287(g) was still under review by the County Attorney’s Office as of August 2025. Sheriff Alex Bakken estimated finalization in “at least another month.”
ACLU Critique
ACLU of Wyoming Director Antonio Serrano criticized the agreements as being signed without offering the public a chance to comment, and specifically raised concerns about the WHP’s authority to arrest undocumented immigrants across the five 287(g) counties plus anywhere along Wyoming’s highway system.
Sources
- Governor’s Office: Gordon formalizes WHP agreement with ICE (Jul 28, 2025)
- WY Public Media: Wyoming Highway Patrol signs agreement with ICE (Jul 28, 2025)
- KGAB: Wyoming’s agreement with ICE — what it means for local communities (2025)
- ACLU of Wyoming: What are 287(g) agreements and how do they fuel mass deportations
- KSUT: Mountain West law-enforcement agreements with ICE rose fivefold in 2025 (Dec 12, 2025)