Five Wyoming Sheriffs Deputies to Take On Immigration Enforcement

The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office has signed a new memorandum of understanding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, expanding the office's participation in ICE's 287(G) program under Ice's Task Force Model.

The 287 (g) program enables up to five Sweetwater County Sheriffs Office deputies to act as federal immigration agents in a limited capacity. They will perform limited federal immigration enforcement duties, including investigations and arrests, under the supervision of ICE.

“Illegal immigration and unsecured borders threaten public safety and strain local resources,” Jason Mower, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.

Mower said the county’s partnership with ICE under the 287(g) task force model gives deputies added authority to help enforce immigration laws.

“A select few of our specially trained and certified deputies will soon have the authority to proactively enforce federal immigration laws, effectively pairing local oversight with federal support,” said Jason Mower, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

“This integrated approach ensures fair, consistent enforcement that upholds the legal boundaries keeping our community safe, while protecting public safety and preserving resources for all who call this county home—whether legal residents, migrants or immigrants alike,” he said.

As part of its expanded cooperation with ICE, the agency recently increased its number of dedicated beds for federal detainees from 15 to 30 at the Sweetwater County Detention Center—reflecting the county’s strategic location along the Interstate 80 corridor between Denver and Las Vegas.

“This isn’t about politics for us,” Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle said. “It’s about what we’ve seen happen right here in Sweetwater County. We all remember Saaverda Villa—a twice-deported sex offender who came back and raped a local eight-year-old girl in 2022. That’s the kind of threat we’re trying to stop.”

“This partnership also helps generate revenue through housing ICE detainees at our detention center, which means we’re able to enhance public safety without placing additional burden on local taxpayers.”

Under the Task Force Model, participating deputies must complete specialized federal training before being certified to act in their immigration enforcement role. Once approved and certified, they will operate with limited immigration authority under direct ICE supervision while remaining fully accountable to local leadership.

Mower said the public should expect additional details as the program moves forward.

"An intensified immigration enforcement climate is no longer a hypothetical – it is happening now."(BakerHostetler).

President Donald Trump pledged to carry out the largest deportation effort in US history and the administration has already begun ramping up immigration enforcement.

Already we've seen more arrests for illegal re-enry coming from the Wyoming Department of Justice than we have in recent years, and even in Casper there are seemingly more arrests being reported in the arrest logs for immigration-related charges.

In the first months of the new administration, ICE targeted individuals with criminal histories, but now we are beginning to see the agency's focus grow.

ICE has already conducted raids at worksites in multiple states, targeting businesses suspected of hiring unauthorized workers or that fail to maintain proper employment verification records.

Employers throughout the country have begun receiving subpoenas instructing them to supply ICE with records andother materials related to their hiring practices and immigration compliance.

During President Trump’s first term, ICE set a goal to conduct as many as 15,000 I-9 audits annually (nearly 4X the historical norm); we can expect the agency to set a similarly aggressive target for 2025.