Laramie County Sheriff’s Office: Nearly 76% of ICE arrests resulted from traffic stop
CHEYENNE — Laramie County Sheriff’s Office internal reports show that approximately 76% of Immigration and Customs Enforcement-assisted arrests made between Oct. 1 and Feb. 3 were the result of a traffic stop.
In roughly 93 case reports filed over that period of time, released to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in response to a public records request, deputies described how they’d primarily stopped cars for traffic violations such as speeding, or failure to stop at a stop sign, before initiating immigration interviews with drivers and passengers.
Those 93 cases resulted in 154 total arrests, with several incidents in which passengers of stopped cars were arrested at the approval of ICE.
Deputies also conducted immigration investigations in a handful of cases following car accidents or while helping ICE execute immigration warrants.
The assistance is not without benefit to the sheriff’s office. Because LCSO has all three 287(g) agreements, the agency not only is paid for deputy hours dedicated to enforcement, but also for holding people on ICE detainers.
As of Wednesday, Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak informed the WTE that LCSO had received $280,000 from ICE for a vehicle and equipment/training for patrol Task Force Officers.
Because operating expenses have already been budgeted for, Kozak said he intends to use the funds for other things the department would like to have.
Those include a K-9 deputy truck, additional training to support staff and their families, and the support of a few programs intended to lower crime and improve interactions between law enforcement and the public, particularly those with disabilities.
Traffic stops
LCSO policy is clear that Task Force Officers are not to inquire about individuals’ immigration status unless they’ve made “lawful contact” with the person after a lawful stop, detention or arrest based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. This includes traffic violations.
The policy clarifies that “this includes the collateral investigation of other individuals who are in the same vehicle, home, or on the same job site if the (Task Force Officer) has reasonable suspicion they are in the United States illegally.”
“We’re basing our contacts on crimes,” Kozak said. “Someone commits a crime, so it’s a legal justification for us to ask questions and then that might lead into an immigration investigation.”
In practice, according to documents, this most often means deputies pulling people over for speeding or not displaying plates, and investigating the driver and passengers once the driver is unable to produce a driver’s license, insurance and registration, and the deputy has a “reasonable suspicion” that someone is in undocumented.
Then, before an arrest can be made, deputies call ICE, sharing any identifying information gathered and confirming that ICE authorizes the arrest.
Approximately 32 of the 71 traffic-related cases had some relation to speeding, though in many cases that wasn’t the only traffic violation cited in the report.
Other violations included failure to stop at stop signs, going the wrong way down a one-way road, not having proper license plate lights, failing to signal a turn, having a cracked windshield and driving without head/tail lights.
One report, regarding a Jan. 21 incident, described a deputy pulling over a white 2015 GMC Sierra with Colorado plates for speeding 10 mph over the posted limit and straddling the center yellow line. Five people were in the car, three of whom were not wearing seat belts, according to the report. All of their names were redacted.
The driver reportedly did not speak English, but a passenger spoke on his behalf. The driver did not have a driver’s license but presented a Mexican passport. According to the report, the passport contained no port-of-entry stamps, and the driver did not have a visa or any immigration documents.
One passenger had a Colorado driver’s license, which read “Not valid for federal identification, voting, or federal public benefit purposes,” and the three other passengers presented Guatemalan consular identification cards.
These three forms of documentation — passports, driver’s licenses not valid for federal use and consular cards — were frequently referenced in the reports, with several deputies citing the documentation as a reason to continue questions related to immigration status.
At some point, a bilingual deputy arrived to interview the driver, and the five people within the car admitted to being in the country without legal status. Then, ICE was contacted to confirm the arrests of all five people in the car.
One man fled, and deputies pursued him, both on foot and in one reported vehicle. The man was caught and checked by medical professionals due to a small cut on his hand. All five were booked on ICE holds.
Admissions and translation
Translated interviews and people admitting their status were also frequently referenced in the LCSO reports. Approximately 23 reports referenced individuals who “admitted they were in the country illegally” to deputies.
Approximately 30 reports referenced the need for translation, typically either through a bilingual deputy, Google Translate or through ICE.
Deputies are not supposed to use the translating capabilities of people on scene, specifically children of those suspected of immigration violations. One reason for this policy is “reliability,” said Perry Rockvam, LCSO chief deputy of administration.
“They might have a conversation, but that doesn’t mean they’re telling you the truth,” Rockvam said. “It’s not a reliable source.”
Reports included one instance on Dec. 27, 2025, where this policy was violated when a deputy allowed a woman, whose name was redacted, to call her son to translate. According to the report, the woman’s family arrived on scene as the deputy was escorting her to his car in handcuffs.
“While walking to my patrol vehicle several family members of (name redacted), arrived and started to scream and yell,” the report read. “One of the males was actively being held back by his family members as he tried to approach us to fight.”
Deputies reportedly called for “expedited cover” and issued several verbal commands for the crowd to disperse. Ultimately, the woman was transported to the Laramie County Detention Center and placed on an ICE hold.
Car crashes
In approximately four instances, deputies responded to car crashes or were called to assist agencies responding to car crashes, which resulted in ICE arrests.
One report, written by Chief Deputy Aaron Veldheer, described a Dec. 3, 2025, incident, where he was patrolling in plain clothes and saw a silver Chevrolet Malibu slide off the road.He activated his lights and contacted the driver, whose name was redacted, and upon realizing he didn’t speak English, continued the conversation in his “best Spanish.”
Veldheer inquired about a driver’s license, and the driver told Veldheer that he didn’t understand what he was asking for. Later, after the driver was detained and a Mexican driver’s license from the state of Puebla was located, the driver told Veldheer that he had understood the question.
“I don’t think (redacted) was being deceptive,” Veldheer wrote. “I think he was simply scared.”
The man told Veldheer that he had entered the U.S. approximately six years ago through a “coyote,” or a human smuggler.
The man was taken into ICE custody without further incident, according to the report.
Agency assists
Deputies are also assisting other local law enforcement agencies in ICE arrests. In 26 of the 93 reports, deputies assisted other agencies in traffic stops, arriving on scene once another law enforcement officer determined that an immigration investigation was warranted.
Agencies that requested assistance from LCSO during traffic stops included the Cheyenne Police Department, Wyoming Highway Patrol and Pine Bluffs Police Department.
Community members have accused deputies of going into communities with the explicit purpose of finding people who are undocumented, which is prohibited by department policy.
According to documents, twice last year, deputies assisted ICE in executing immigration warrants, though Kozak said they are only permitted to do so in certain circumstances.
“We told them we would not (assist) unless there was an actual criminal arrest warrant,” Kozak said. “Just like any other law enforcement agency asking for help, we will help with those.”
“ICE out’ protest
LCSO has been under fire recently for the department’s willingness to assist ICE. While some community members applaud the sheriff’s 287(g) contracts, others have taken to the streets to protest them.
On Feb. 13, approximately 250 students in Laramie County School District 1 rallied at the Capitol for an “ICE out” protest. While this is by far the largest protest Cheyenne has seen regarding ICE, it is not the first since these contracts were struck.
Immigrant and human rights advocates have warned that 287(g) contracts specifically open local law enforcement agencies to liability, with the likelihood of unethical policing practices, such as racial profiling.
Kozak has been adamant that he knows what these programs look like when managed poorly, based on agencies in proximity to his own while employed in Arizona.
He has repeatedly stated that his policy is intended to specifically avoid ethical concerns, including prohibiting “the practice of targeting individuals for enforcement based solely on race, ethnicity, national origin, or perceived immigration status.”
ICE agents have been rumored to be going to schools in Laramie County, with AI-generated images of ICE agents circulating on popular social media platforms like Facebook.
Kozak did state, in a recent interview with the WTE, that if ICE agents began conducting sweeps at Laramie County schools or going into neighborhoods, indiscriminately doing sweeps without background investigations, that would cause LCSO to back out of its contracts. He does, however, doubt that will occur.
“I think they really value their relationship with the sheriff,” Kozak said. “And the local agents like how we’re doing it here, because we’re basing our contacts on crimes.”
This story was published on Feb. 28, 2026.