Natrona County Detention Center — Aurora overflow, 44 ICE detainees, $95/day, de facto immigration prison risk

Overview

The Natrona County Detention Center in Casper is a 476-bed county jail that has become a key overflow facility for the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Colorado. Under an IGSA that began July 1, 2025, the facility accepted 44 ICE detainees from Aurora at a rate of $95 per day. The county also has a 287(g) agreement with ICE and hosts the only ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office in Wyoming.

Key Details

IGSA start: July 1, 2025
Initial batch: 44 detainees booked in a single Friday evening (late July 2025)
Daily rate: $95/detainee
Total capacity: 476 beds; typically houses ~250 inmates
287(g) agreement: Yes (Warrant Service Officer Model)
ICE ERO office: Casper — the only ICE ERO office in Wyoming

De Facto Immigration Prison Concern

In federal court proceedings, ICE officials testified they were sending people with “inactive” immigration cases to Natrona County to free up space in Aurora for detainees with pending court hearings. This raises the specter of county jails becoming de facto immigration prisons, as people without active proceedings are warehoused indefinitely in remote facilities far from immigration courts and legal representation.

Case Study: Josue Rodriguez (Cuban National)

On July 18, 2025, Cuban immigrant Josue Rodriguez was detained at a routine ICE check-in appointment and held in the Natrona County Detention Center for 40 days before deportation to Mexico. Rodriguez had been living in Wyoming and complying with ICE reporting requirements. His case illustrates:

Detention during routine check-ins (not criminal arrest)
Extended holds in county jails far from legal resources
Deportation of Cuban nationals to third countries (Mexico)
The gap between ICE rhetoric about targeting criminals and actual enforcement practice

Regional Significance

ICE plans to build a second ERO office in Gillette (Campbell County, 120 miles north), suggesting Natrona County will remain central to Wyoming’s detention infrastructure. The facility’s location along I-25 makes it a natural staging point between the Denver Field Office and northern Wyoming/Montana operations.

Detention Pipeline