Research Note Researched

Wyoming — Statewide ICE cooperation surge: 5 county 287(g) agreements, WHP deputized, county jails as overflow for Aurora, $120/day detainee rates

Wyoming has emerged as one of the most cooperative states in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement expansion. By May 2026, seven county sheriffs, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and four towns held one or more 287(g) agreements with ICE, and multiple county jails accept ICE detainees as overflow from the Aurora, CO processing center. Wyoming has no sanctuary cities and passed legislation in 2025 to ensure none can form.

Update — May 2026

287(g) footprint expanded from 5 counties to 7 counties + 4 towns + WHP. New since April 2026: Crook County (effective Jan 7, 2026; Task Force + Jail Enforcement + Warrant Service in progress), Lincoln County (Warrant Service, effective Nov 2025), and the towns of Wheatland, Shoshoni, Pine Bluffs, and Moorcroft (Task Force Model, all signed April 2026). Carbon County’s WSO agreement is now finalized (effective June 2025).
ACLU of Wyoming lawsuit vs. Laramie County (filed May 27, 2026). Plaintiffs Juntos (immigrant nonprofit), the Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne, and Drew’s Barbershop sued Sheriff Brian Kozak in Laramie County District Court, alleging the three 287(g) agreements are void because the sheriff bypassed the county commission and county clerk and violated the Wyoming Administrative Procedures Act (45-day public notice). The county clerk confirmed no agreements were filed with her office. (See county-fight entry laramie-county-wy-aclu-287g-lawsuit.)
Laramie County topped the nation in immigration arrests. April 17-23, 2026: 53 arrests, the most of any local/state agency in the U.S. that week (FL Highway Patrol 31, OK DPS 27). 46 coincided with Sheriff Kozak’s publicized “Truck Around Find Out / Operation Spring Break” traffic op; ICE processed 40 at a federal facility, 6 booked locally. 300 total immigration arrests since October 2025.
Detention rates renegotiated upward. Sweetwater’s per diem rose from $61.57 to $120 (2025); Uinta’s from $66 to $120 (fall 2025).
Uinta County clarified to have NO 287(g) — Sheriff declined; holds ICE detainees only via a U.S. Marshals Service agreement (~31 federal detainees).
Community opposition intensified. ~200 Cheyenne high schoolers walked out Feb 13, 2026 (“My classmates aren’t illegal”); a 540-signature petition (incl. Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen) pressed Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr to end 48-hour ICE holds by a May 1 deadline — Carr declined, holds continue.

Key Statistics

287(g) counties (7): Campbell, Carbon, Crook, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Sweetwater
287(g) towns (4): Wheatland, Shoshoni, Pine Bluffs, Moorcroft (all Task Force, April 2026)
Wyoming Highway Patrol: 287(g) Task Force Model announced July 2025; ~12 troopers certified; declined reimbursement
Laramie County: 27 officers certified; 300 immigration arrests since Oct 2025; topped nation 53 arrests (April 17-23, 2026); 257 ICE detainees housed Sept 2025-Jan 2026; $120/day; funding as of Feb 28, 2026 — $100K vehicle, $180K equipment, $32,388.97 salary reimbursement
Natrona County: IGSA since July 1, 2025 (Task Force model added); 44 detainees received from Aurora; $95/day; $137,500 in stipends to date; 476-bed facility; only ICE ERO office in WY
Sweetwater County: First WY Task Force agency; $120/day (up from $61.57); $1M+ projected this FY; $167,500 stipends + ~$370,600 housing revenue since Oct; 205-bed facility certified for 72+ hour holds
Uinta County: NO 287(g) (declined); USMS agreement, ~31 detainees; $120/day (up from $66); 439 inmates housed Jun 1-Aug 27, billed ~$96K
Campbell County: Warrant Service only; $80/night per detainee
Crook County: effective Jan 7, 2026; $100K one-time stipend + $15K/officer quarterly
Federal funding: One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocated $75B to ICE through 2029
ICE arrests: Nearly tripled in WY since Jan 2025; most arrested lack criminal convictions
Estimated undocumented population: ~9,800 (2023 American Immigration Council)

Enforcement Profile

Wyoming’s enforcement model is distinctive: rather than ICE building dedicated facilities, the state is distributing detainees across multiple county jails. County jails function as overflow for the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Colorado when that 1,500-bed facility fills. Detainees are transferred from Aurora to Wyoming jails (Natrona, Uinta, Sweetwater) and from western Wyoming operations to Sweetwater for staging before Aurora transport.

The November 2025 trucker operation exemplified multi-agency coordination: Laramie County Sheriff, WHP, and ICE conducted a 3-day operation targeting commercial truckers bypassing the Colorado border port of entry, resulting in 40 deportations, 195 traffic stops, and 133 commercial vehicle inspections.

State-Level Cooperation

Governor Mark Gordon has been an active partner:

Formalized WHP-ICE 287(g) agreement (July 2025)
Directed National Guard to execute DHS agreements
No opposition to county-level ICE cooperation

2025 Legislation

Passed: Ban on sanctuary cities (Wyoming has none, but preemptive)
Passed: Law invalidating driver’s licenses issued by other states to undocumented immigrants
Rejected: SF0124 “Illegal immigration — identify, report, detain and deport” — would have made harboring immigrants a felony and required sheriffs to determine immigration status of all arrestees. Passed Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously but failed on floor.
Rejected: Sen. Steinmetz bill requiring immigration status questioning during routine police stops (defeated Feb 2025)
Passed: Anti-sanctuary bill from Rep. Guggenmos (R-Riverton)
Pending: English proficiency standards for commercial drivers (targeting immigrant truckers)

Community Response

ACLU of Wyoming (Antonio Serrano): Criticized 287(g) agreements signed without public comment, noted most arrested lack criminal histories; filed suit against Laramie County Sheriff May 27, 2026
Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project (WIAP): Launched Teton Area Rapid Response Network and ICE watch hotline in Jackson (March 2026)
Cheyenne student walkout (Feb 13, 2026): ~200 junior-high and high-school students from Central, East, South, and Carey/Johnson junior highs walked to the state Capitol chanting “ICE Out”; signs read “My classmates aren’t illegal”
Teton County: Sheriff Matt Carr changed policy March 2025 to honor all detainers (48-hour holds); a 540-signature petition (incl. Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen) demanded he end holds by May 1, 2026 — Carr declined, citing state law and public safety. KHOL/Wyoming Public Media analysis (Mar 8, 2025-Apr 6, 2026): 241 foreign-born booked, 153 transferred to ICE, ~74% of transfers driving-related (44 DUI, 40 driving-without-license, all repeat); only 11 explicitly violent charges. Foreign-born were 27% of bookings but ~13% of county population.

Why This Matters

Wyoming represents a model of total state-level cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. With five county 287(g)s, a statewide highway patrol agreement, multiple IGSA arrangements, supportive legislation, and no organized political opposition, the state functions as an extension of ICE’s Denver Field Office. The distributed county-jail model avoids the political visibility of a large dedicated facility while creating financial incentives ($95-$120/day) for rural counties to participate in the detention pipeline.

Sources

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