JANUARY 27, 2025|
Photo – State capitol building in Cheyenne – Bigfoot99 file photo
Another bill, dealing with ICE and illegal immigrants in Wyoming, failed in committee on Friday.
HB 276, State Agreements to Perform Immigration Functions, failed in Appropriations on a 3-4 vote.
Allen Thompson, the Executive Director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, a group that provides leadership on law enforcement issues in the state, told the committee that WASCOP had serious concerns about the bill, should it pass. Thompson said he met 19 sheriffs by phone prior to the hearing. Manpower and financial support to operate the program were the biggest concerns.
Jeremiah Reiman, the Executive Director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, also expressed concerns with the legislation.
Republican Martha Lawley from House District 27—Big Horn and Washakie Counties—introduced the bill with a half-dozen co-sponsors. The legislation authorized the boards of county commissioners to negotiate terms of agreement between county and the United States Attorney General or Department of Justice, for the enforcement of federal immigration and customs laws, detentions, removals and investigations.
At the heart of the bill, apart from funding, is the politics and different opinions about the enforcement of federal law at the local, county, and state levels. Committee Chair John Bear, Republican from Gillette, described the balance of power and cooperation this way.
In the end, Bear, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, was the deciding vote in 276’s failure to pass, out from this session a 4-3 vote.
The three Ayes included Representative Bill Allemand of Natrona County, Abbey Angelos of Gillette, and Jeremy Haroldson, House Speaker Pro Tem, representing Platte and Albany Counties. All are Republicans.
