Wyoming Communities Expand ICE Cooperation Agreements as Trump Administration Intensifies Immigration Enforcement
Why It Matters
For Wyoming residents and local law enforcement agencies, a growing wave of formal immigration partnerships with federal authorities is reshaping how communities across the Equality State handle illegal immigration. The agreements are bringing federal resources into Wyoming counties while raising questions about local control, community trust, and the proper role of city and county law enforcement in executing federal immigration priorities.
The expansion reflects a broader national shift under President Donald Trump, whose administration has made aggressive immigration enforcement a defining policy priority since returning to office in January 2025.
What Happened
Four Wyoming towns — Wheatland, Shoshoni, Pine Bluffs, and Moorcroft — signed new 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April, adding to a growing list of Wyoming law enforcement agencies formally cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
The new agreements fall under the Task Force Model, which allows local officers to carry out certain immigration enforcement duties alongside ICE during routine policing activities. The Trump administration revived the Task Force Model in 2025, after the Obama administration had phased it out in 2012.
Currently, seven Wyoming counties, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and four towns hold one or more 287(g) agreements with ICE. The agreements give local and state law enforcement expanded authority to enforce immigration rules under ICE supervision, though agencies retain some discretion in how they implement the partnerships.
By the Numbers
- 4 new Wyoming towns signed 287(g) Task Force Model agreements with ICE in April
- 7 Wyoming counties currently hold one or more 287(g) agreements with ICE
- $75 billion allocated to ICE through 2029 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, making it the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency
- 3 types of 287(g) program models: Jail Enforcement, Task Force, and Warrant Service Officer
- 1996 — the year Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act became law
Local Agencies Weigh In
Some Wyoming sheriffs view the agreements as a practical tool for managing a federal enforcement priority at the local level. Jason Mower, spokesperson for the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, explained the office’s reasoning for signing on.
“It was very important for the sheriff that we had a seat at the table,” Mower said. “If this was going to be a federal priority, regardless of whether or not we were on board, what we didn’t want to have happen was the federal government to come into Sweetwater County, unannounced and unbeknownst to us, and basically do whatever they want without our oversight.”
Crook County Sheriff Jeff Hodge, whose office’s agreement has been in effect since January, described a targeted approach to enforcement. “We’re focusing on criminals,” Hodge said. “You’re just not arresting every illegal out there.” Hodge noted that deputies are not actively seeking out illegal immigrants but will pursue an immigration inquiry if they encounter someone suspected of being in the country illegally while responding to an incident.
Critics Raise Concerns
Not all Wyoming residents welcome the expansion of local ICE cooperation. Immigration advocates argue the agreements erode community trust in local law enforcement and risk civil rights violations. Rock Springs resident Dana Ward, who helped organize a protest in Sweetwater County, argued the Obama administration had discontinued certain Task Force agreements in 2012 specifically because they led to racial profiling, damaged community relations, and triggered lawsuits alleging civil and human rights violations.
The agreements have sparked protests in both Rock Springs and Cheyenne. Some critics argue the partnerships effectively convert local law enforcement into an extension of federal immigration agencies — a dynamic some communities view as a threat to local governance and community cohesion.
Zoom Out
Wyoming’s expanded ICE cooperation fits squarely within a national trend accelerated by the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. With Congress committing tens of billions of dollars to ICE operations, the financial incentives for local agencies to participate are significant, and the program is expanding rapidly across the Mountain West and beyond.
Wyoming has simultaneously been navigating other federal policy intersections, including pressure from the energy industry on lawmakers to align more closely with Trump’s energy dominance agenda — reflecting the state’s broader pattern of aligning with federal conservative priorities while asserting local oversight where possible.
What’s Next
With the 287(g) program now well-funded and politically supported at the federal level, additional Wyoming agencies may consider signing their own agreements in the coming months. ICE’s Denver field office has not disclosed how many agents are operating within Wyoming, citing operational security. Local advocates opposing the agreements have indicated continued organizing efforts, while sheriffs who have signed on say they intend to use the partnerships as a controlled, locally supervised tool — rather than ceding full enforcement authority to federal agents operating independently in their counties.
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