WYOMING — Gov. Mark Gordon approved the activation of the Wyoming National Guard to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state.
According to a press release from the governor’s office on Wednesday, Aug. 13, this collaboration is for the purpose of enabling “ICE agents to focus more directly on law enforcement operations.” Up to 15 National Guard members will work to support ICE and provide administrative, logistic and transportation assistance over the coming months. The mission is expected to begin within 30 days. During the mission, Guard personnel will remain under the governor’s command and will not be working on enforcement operations.
“When asked by our nation, Wyoming responds,” Gov. Gordon said in the statement. “Our participation is about putting our resources where they can be of greatest service to the national priority of securing our borders and staunching illegal immigration.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the mission on behalf of the federal government. Hegseth notified the National Guard Bureau that up to 1,700 Guard members could be activated in 20 states in support of ICE under Title 32, Section 502(f) of the U.S. Code.
At the end of July, the governor’s office announced a partnership between ICE and the Wyoming Highway Patrol. At the time, ACLU of Wyoming Executive Director Libby Skarin released a statement condemning the agreement.
“The federal government has indicated that mass deportations are a priority for the current administration,” Skarin said. “However, what the federal government wants is not what’s best for Wyoming. Compliance with ICE will not improve public safety or protect our state and, in fact, puts politics over the best interests of Wyoming.
Gov. Gordon’s press release states that “this support to ICE continues our tradition of interagency cooperation in service to our state and others as well as the nation.”
