JANUARY 31, 2025|
Photo – United States ICE logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
This week, the Carbon County Sheriff announced deputies will not arrest people based solely on their immigration status. However, illegal immigrants arrested for other crimes will be remanded to the federal government.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Alex Bakken posted a statement on his Facebook page clarifying his department’s stance on illegal immigration.
The sheriff wrote that Wyoming state law takes precedence over civil and federal law. Because of that, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office does not and will not target people based on their skin color, accent, or perceived nationality. Sheriff Bakken stated that his department has no interest in a person’s citizenship status if they are a law-abiding member of the community.
The sheriff promised to arrest anyone who commits violent crimes, sells drugs, steals cars, or endangers lives and property, no matter their country of origin. If taken into custody, the individual will be held accountable for their crimes in Carbon County and may be remanded to other authorities, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, if appropriate.
Sheriff Bakken’s statement continued, saying the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office maintains a strong working relationship with federal authorities, including ICE. The sheriff’s department has long recognized ICE detainers, where the federal agency will ask the sheriff to hold a suspected illegal immigrant until ICE agents can detain the individual. However, those people must have already been in the Carbon County Jail for violating a Wyoming state statute.
At the January 21st Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Bakken informed the board that his department will begin participating in Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s ICE 287(g) program.
Section 287(g) of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act allows ICE to delegate limited immigration enforcement authority to state and local law enforcement officers.
Addressing the commissioners, the sheriff said ICE is required to retrieve a suspected illegal immigrant from his custody within 48 hours. While the federal agency has never failed to arrive within the deadline, the sheriff said the 287(g) program will permit his deputies to detain the suspect for longer if necessary.
In Wednesday’s statement, Sheriff Bakken wrote that the 287(g) program only applies to subjects arrested for violating Wyoming state law and does not authorize the sheriff’s department to make arrests based on immigration status.
The sheriff wrote that he only makes arrests based on probable cause under Wyoming state statute, or valid warrants signed by a court, and not based on immigration status.
Sheriff Bakken’s post appears to be well received by the public, with the majority of comments thanking the sheriff for his transparency and what they say is his “reasonable and appropriate response to the ongoing situation”
However, an early comment asserting that illegal immigrants are not law-abiding members of the community due to their illegal entry into the country, appears to have been hidden or deleted from the sheriff’s social media post.
Bigfoot99 reached out to Sheriff Bakken to ask if arrests of illegal immigrants in Carbon County have risen since President Trump issued his executive orders. The sheriff responded that arrests have not gone up at this time.
In Wednesday’s post, Sheriff Bakken wrote that he strives to ensure every Carbon County resident can live in a safe community. However, the sheriff promised to hold anyone accountable for violating state laws or causing harm toward others, regardless of their immigration status.
Sheriff Bakken invited anyone with questions regarding his department’s partnership with ICE or the 287(g) program to call his personal cell phone at 212-1355.
