Monday, February 23, 2026 |
Photo – US Department of Homeland Security logo – Courtesy US Immigration
Despite an unsolicited report from a county resident about federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents being spotted in Rawlins, Sheriff Alex Bakken said ICE is not operating in Carbon County.
On Friday morning, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken announced on social media that a resident had posted a photo of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle in the city, accompanied by the caption, written in English, “They are here in Rawlins, everyone please be careful.”
Sheriff Bakken responded that the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has verified with ICE that there are no active operations in the county. The sheriff added that federal agents have agreed to notify his department and local municipalities before any activity.
Sheriff Bakken wrote that the ICE vehicle in the photo was transporting an individual arrested on an unrelated charge who also had an active ICE detainer. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office participates in the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to delegate limited immigration‑enforcement authority to state and local officers.
Under the program, sheriff’s deputies can hold individuals with ICE detainers in the county jail until federal agents take custody.
Sheriff Bakken clarified that to execute an ICE hold, a person must first be arrested for violating a state statute, adding that the sheriff’s department does not arrest individuals based on citizenship status.
