Wyoming researchers to study Teton County Sheriff's Office immigration policies

JACKSON —- Researchers from the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center are set to dig into immigration policy in Teton County.

The Teton County Board of County Commissioners approved a contract on Oct. 20 to engage the University of Wyoming-run research organization. That’s after pressure from a group of advocates, who organized under the name “JH Action Coalition,” pushed for the assessment in June.

“It’s about damn time,” organizer Jen Haynam said Friday. “This is a major milestone for our community and a testament to what sustained grassroots advocacy can accomplish.”

Researchers are to examine the sheriff’s office’s “practices and changes” since March 2025, according to the contract. 

That’s when Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr agreed to comply with all detainer requests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement instead of only those signed by a judge, allowing the federal agency more time to pick people up from the county jail. Carr made that change after pressure from Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and other high-ranking Republicans. 

But the change drew pushback from residents, who protested outside the jail.

Since March 2025, ICE has picked up 225 people from the jail, Carr said Friday.

The contract outlines six “tasks” for researchers.

They include the following: meeting with county officials and the sheriff’s office to confirm research questions and set a detailed work plan; reviewing state and federal law governing cooperation with immigration authorities to determine what sheriff’s office actions are legally required and what is left up to local discretion; and evaluating and assessing booking, charging, ICE notification and detainer and transfer information records to develop a “descriptive profile” of information.

Researchers are also set to examine body cam footage from arrests to analyze circumstances of initial contact, officer tone, demeanor, and behavior, and statements about national origin, race or ethnicity, language, accent, or related characteristics; conduct interviews with community members about how the change in policy has affected the community; and produce a report with recommendations that could address policy clarification, data collection and barriers to seeking assistance or crime reporting.

“We want those findings to inform action,” Haynam said.

The action coalition’s “immediate policy objective” is to get the sheriff’s office to revert to its previous policy of only honoring detainer requests signed by a judge, Haynam said.

Carr told Jackson Hole Community Radio 89.1 that he does not anticipate the assessment will lead to a change in policy. He told the Jackson Hole Daily on Friday that he will “keep an open mind” and is interested to see where the assessment will lead.

“We’re following the law and doing what’s being asked of us by the feds and balancing that with what’s best for the community,” Carr said. “If the assessment indicates otherwise, it’s something worth taking a look at.”

The sheriff is expecting an uptick in public information requests as the audit picks up. The office’s investigative sergeant typically processes those requests, and the office is seeing more requests generally, Carr said, some of which come from artificial intelligence bots.

The backdrop

Teton County Commission Chair Mark Newcomb said Friday that he remains concerned about immigration enforcement and referenced enforcement that happened this month in Teton County, Idaho. 

“I’m very concerned that that could happen here,” Newcomb said.

The county commission typically approves the sheriff’s office’s budget but does not usually get into the minutia of how the sheriff runs the office. The sheriff is an independently elected official.

“It’s worthwhile to pay attention to the sheriff’s office, and it’s a role that ... we take seriously,” Newcomb said. “It’s not something that we’ve undertaken unless we really feel there’s a need for it, and I think in this case there is.”

The assessment comes against the backdrop of a heated race for sheriff. 

The three contenders, Carr, a Democrat, Deputy Eric Snow, a Republican, and Chris Glenn, an Independent, have diverged on immigration policy. Snow has pushed for closer ties between the office and ICE. Glenn, who helped organize with the JH Action Coalition, has pushed to do away with any cooperation with ICE, and Carr has stood by the office’s existing policy.

The county also approved a resolution voicing its appreciation for the immigrant community and affirming the equal treatment of all people. The Jackson Town Council followed suit despite social media scrutiny from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a far-right faction of the Legislature that lost its majority in the House this primary election.

The county is set to pay the survey and analysis center $69,171 for the work. Researchers aim to complete a draft report in December and a final report in January.

This story was published on Oct. 26, 2026. 

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