A bill prohibiting cities, towns and counties in Wyoming from creating immigration sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants sailed through a state House committee Friday.
The House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee passed House Bill 133 by a 7-1 vote, with only Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, voting against it.
Bill sponsor Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, said his bill promotes cooperation between Wyoming communities and federal authority “to uphold public safety and uphold the rule of law.”
“This bill prioritizes accountability and transparency,” Guggenmos said. “Its swift implementation will strengthen Wyoming’s commitment to secure and lawful governance.”
Current Status
No governmental agencies in Wyoming have designated sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants. Due to a variety of factors, these people make up a very small portion of the state’s overall population.
However, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) told Cowboy State Daily last November that within the past 21 months, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office has allowed 103 illegal immigrants to slip away.
Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr has said ICE’s detainer requests don’t offer enough assurance against violating someone’s rights for him to comply with them without a judge’s order.
Under the bill, any local government official or employee who refuses to communicate or cooperate with federal officials or law enforcement officers with regard to reporting immigration status information while working in their official duties can be charged with a felony carrying a minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines.
The bill states that no state employee shall be prohibited or restricted from communicating or cooperating with federal officials or law enforcement officers with regard to reporting immigration status information while the state employee is acting within the scope of their duties.
Upon the determination of the Wyoming governor and attorney general, a city, town or county that violates the bill shall have all of its state and state-administered federal funding withheld.
Solution Without A Problem
Yin mentioned how there are no designated sanctuary entities in Wyoming and said he was curious what the purpose of HB 133 is.
Guggenmos said he sees his bill as a preemptive measure to ensure this doesn’t change to prevent sanctuary cities in Wyoming in the future.
A number of cities like Boulder, Colorado, and the state of California have enacted sanctuary status, which Guggenmos sees as a problem that could spill into Wyoming.
“We don’t have them now, but it’s always good to do preemptive measures to prevent it from becoming a problem,” he said.
Cheyenne resident Exie Brown, who unsuccessfully ran for the state House this summer, agreed and said it’s important for Wyoming to be proactive rather than reactive on the issue.
“If they are not a legal citizen and they came to this illegally, they have violated the law and are therefore a criminal,” he said.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray testified on the bill, and said he’s very concerned about sanctuary cities and is skeptical they would never come to Wyoming.
He also expressed concern that local prosecutors wouldn’t enforce the bill if it passed into law. He suggested adding a civil prosecution avenue to the bill as well.
“That’s how you nip it in the bud, you tug at the pursestrings as well,” Gray said.
Yin questioned Gray what sanctuary cities have to do with his job duties, which include overseeing the state’s elections and business filings.
Gray responded to Yin that “attacks” the media has put out about him testifying on a wide range of topics outside the scope of his job duties is “absurd.”
Secretary of State Chuck Gray testifies about a bill to ban sanctuary cities in Wyoming during a Jan. 24, 2025, meeting of the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
State Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, testifies about a bill to ban sanctuary cities in Wyoming during a Jan. 24, 2025, meeting of the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
Antonio Serrano, advocacy director for the ACLU of Wyoming, testifies about a bill to ban sanctuary cities in Wyoming during a Jan. 24, 2025, meeting of the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
Local Look
Antonio Serrano, advocacy director for the ACLU of Wyoming, believes the Teton County sheriff did what he was supposed to under the law. Serrano also said the people released were not violent criminals, but rather people who did not have a driver’s license.
“From what I understand, having conversation with people in the community, these are people who did not have a license, that’s it,” he said. “There’s a lot more context to the story than what’s being portrayed.”
Serrano, the son of an immigrant and now an immigrant advocate, believes HB 133 sends a message to immigrants that they’re not welcome in Wyoming and erodes trust.
According to the U.S. Immigration Council, there are at least 10,000 U.S.-born families with at least one undocumented immigrant parent.
Campbell County Commissioner Jim Ford, speaking on behalf of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, also opposed the bill.
Ford clarified that no county in Wyoming supports initiating a sanctuary status. But they believe the penalties outlined in the bill are unnecessarily harsh and unjustly focus on local governments.
Ford also said his local board has no inquiries from the public inquiring about the topic of sanctuary cities.
The committee did not take up his request to remove penalties from the bill.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
