Editor’s note: A previous version of this story stated that over 100 community members have been subject to extended detainment and transfer to ICE custody since the beginning of 2024. It has been corrected to say that statistic began in 2025.
JACKSON, Wyo. — A coalition of leaders from local organizations, along with over 500 Teton County residents, has petitioned the Teton County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) to cease honoring civil detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The letter, sent Friday, was signed by Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen, Mary Erickson with St. John’s Episcopal Church, Rosie Read with Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project, Craig Logan with Teton County Indivisible, Antonio Serrano with ACLU Wyoming, and more than 500 community members. In a press release, the JH Action Coalition said that signers raised concerns about individuals being held in the county jail up to 48 hours beyond scheduled release at ICE’s request. The letter notes that those ICE detainers are civil administrative requests — not judicial warrants — which legal experts say are voluntary.
“As a community, we were shocked and appalled when Sheriff Matt Carr, in March of 2025, reneged on his public promise not to hold onto inmates for federal immigration authorities without a criminal warrant, instead bowing to pressure from aggressively anti-immigration politicians in Cheyenne to honor civil detention requests from ICE,” the letter reads.
The press release also states that Teton County has not entered into an agreement with ICE, and that local law enforcement is not required or authorized to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement functions.
“No one in Teton County should be held in custody without a judge-signed warrant,” Logan said in the statement. “That is a basic constitutional protection. Holding people beyond their release based on a civil ICE request raises serious concerns about due process and the role of local law enforcement.”
Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr received the letter on Friday. “I just wanted to say thank you to those folks who reached out with their petition,” Carr told Buckrail. “It was received today at the Sheriff’s Office, and I appreciate what they’re expressing and will certainly take that into consideration.”
Mayor Jorgensen told Buckrail that he views petitions as a meaningful part of community engagement, and that his name carries the same weight as anyone else who signed the letter.
“I want to acknowledge that the sheriff has a difficult job to do, in terms of navigating this,” Jorgensen said. “And I think it’s very appropriate for the rest of the community that just want to make sure our voice is being heard, on making sure that we’re doing everything we can to protect all members in our community, regardless of their status. And that our due process requirements … are being met.”
A separate letter with similar content was sent to the Teton County Board of County Commissioners. There, the coalition requests the following actions from county leadership: cease honoring ICE detainers without a judicial warrant; publicly clarify the current policy regarding ICE cooperation; provide transparency on all ICE-related detentions including the number of individuals held beyond scheduled release; and affirm that local resources will not be used for federal civil immigration enforcement.
“I’m always glad to share my platform and stance on different things,” Carr said. “I anticipate a few articles that are coming out fairly soon in regards to some of the immigration stuff that should also reflect what our policies are, what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it at the Sheriff’s Office. But I’m never afraid to answer any of those questions for anybody who has them.”
Since the beginning of 2025, more than 100 community members have been subject to extended detainment and transfer to ICE custody, per the letter to TCSO. In many cases, the letter explains, these actions occurred after “minor traffic violations” and low-level offenses like public intoxication.
The press release recalled the recent incident at Albertsons when a community member experiencing a mental health crisis was brought into the criminal legal system and faced immigration consequences, “raising concerns about escalation, unequal treatment and the broader impact on community trust.”
In December 2024, the Jackson Hole New&Guide reported that Carr didn’t foresee civil ICE requests being supported within the county. Then, in March 2025, the jail began holding detainees for an extra 48 hours at ICE’s solicitation. A protest outside the Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 28 drew about 35 people who were there to demonstrate against the policy.
Carr told the Jackson Hole News&Guide last month: “I’m not going to repeal [the 48-hour hold]. My role is public safety. We do not participate in immigration enforcement. I enforce state statutes. What happens afterward is different. If ICE chooses to come get someone, that is their decision.”
The coalition has requested a public response from TCSO by May 1.
