Protesters stood in front of ICE vehicles Thursday at a Rock Springs hotel while they used their cars as a blockade to seal off the parking lot exits, effectively trapping the federal officers in.
ICE officers summoned Rock Springs police for help, who cleared the way for the federal agents to leave town, police said.
The standoff was just the latest clash between ICE and protesters taking place in the nation with tensions at all-time highs since federal officers shot and killed two protesters in Minnesota this month including 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday.
Wyoming, one of the nation’s most conservative states, has not served as much of a flashpoint on immigration enforcement issues as neighboring Colorado or other states.
Multiple sheriff’s offices have signed agreements to work in concert with federal immigration officers, with some local agencies forming special task forces, permitting immigration investigations inside of their jails and honoring immigration holds in their detention centers beyond the default 48-hour time limit.
But small groups of protesters have descended upon the Cheyenne capitol in recent weeks. Thursday’s confrontation, however, ratcheted up the intensity between ICE and activists in the Cowboy State with news of the demonstration circulating widely throughout the community on social media throughout the day.
According to Rock Springs police, demonstrators gathered at the Four Points Sheraton — formerly the Clarion Hotel — in the 2500 block of Foothill Boulevard on Thursday morning after learning that ICE officers had spent the night there.
A crowd formed around the agents’ vehicles “preventing them from leaving,” police said in a statement.
“Additionally, the crowd used their own vehicles to block the exit.”
They were stuck in the lot until police arrived “to help them leave Rock Springs,” the statement said.
In a video provided to Cowboy State Daily from a woman at the scene, a small crowd could be seen gathered in the parking lot as three SUVs carrying the federal officers began to roll out.
“They’re leaving, they’re leaving, they’re leaving,” someone can be heard saying.
“They’re planning to get into the elementary school,” another person said.
The incident sparked rumors online of ICE actions elsewhere in Rock Springs including one police shot down involving the elementary school.
Event Sparked Rumors
A school resource officer seen at Pilot Butte Elementary School was not assisting federal agents. The officer was just helping with traffic, walking kids across the parking lot to school safely, police said.
“This was completely unrelated to the incident at the Clarion,” the department statement said.
The attention the impromptu blockade created caused both the Rock Springs Police Department and Sweetwater County sheriff to issue public messages.
“We recognize the complex political struggle in our nation right now,” Rock Springs police said in their statement. “Our job and our focus is to protect the safety and security of all people within Rock Springs.
“Lawful assembly will always be protected. Our priority remains the preservation of public peace; while we support the right to be heard, we will continue to take the necessary steps to uphold the laws that keep our community secure.”
In a lengthy statement, Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle said “Wyoming is better than harassment and intimidation.”
He called on residents to respect federal agents and not harass or follow law enforcement. The ICE officers at the hotel were off duty and eating when they were confronted, Grossnickle said.
“Let me be very clear,” Grossnickle said. “These actions do not represent how we live, work, or do business in Wyoming. We will not tolerate intimidation, stalking, harassment, or interference with any law enforcement officer, whether local, state, or federal. That behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our communities.”
Grossnickle said the First Amendment protects peaceful assembly and freedom of speech including respectful conversation, disagreement and lawful recording in public.
“You cross the line when you engage in aggressive, coercive or deceptive behavior intended to intimidate, harass, stalk, or interfere with law enforcement officers,” Grossnickle said.
The sheriff attempted to clear up any misconceptions, saying his office maintains strong working relationships with federal agents including ICE. The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office has the longest standing agreement to work with ICE of any Wyoming agency, pre-dating this Trump administration.
Cooperation Between Feds And Locals
“If federal agents are operating in our community, it is not happening in a vacuum,” he said “We are aware of it and, when appropriate, we will share information with the public.”
He said “significant misinformation” has been circulating about what ICE was up to “including claims about unlawful detentions, door-to-door immigration checks, and demands to show papers.”
“Those claims do not reflect reality,” he said. “If we had any indication that an officer, local or federal, was acting unethically or unlawfully, we would be the first to speak up and act. Accountability matters.”
Grossnickle reminded residents that immigration policy is set by Congress. If people want policies changed, they need to seek out their elected representatives, he said.
“I recognize these situations can be unsettling for communities and painful for families,” Grossnickle said. “Immigration enforcement is complex, and while strong emotions are understandable, conclusions should be grounded in verified information rather than assumptions or speculation.”
“Targeting officers for enforcing laws they did not create increases the risk of someone getting hurt,” Grossnickle added. “I do not want to see anyone die, including officers, community members, or individuals subject to enforcement actions.”
A spokesman for ICE based in Denver referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security. Two hotel officials declined to speak, saying they were not authorized to comment and were not at the property during the blockade.
Justin George can be reached at justin@cowboystatedaily.com.
