By Jasmine Hall
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

JACKSON — Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill on Tuesday that bans any Wyoming city, town or county from declaring itself a “sanctuary” from reporting illegal immigration to federal officials.

House Bill 133 was the last bill related to immigration enforcement that Gordon had to consider after the 2025 legislative session. Gordon signed another bill requiring immigrant driver’s licenses to be labeled with “non-citizen.” He allowed a second bill to become law without his signature requiring law enforcement to invalidate licenses other states issue to undocumented immigrants. 

But more sweeping legislation that would have directed local law enforcement to act as immigration agents failed to make it past both chambers in the Wyoming Legislature.

Rep. Joel Guggenmos, a freshman Republican endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, said in an interview Wednesday that it was rewarding to see the bill, which he sponsored, make it to the finish line. Guggenmos said it will “prevent problems from creeping up in Wyoming.”

“I don’t care who you are, what nationality you are, what color your skin is,” Guggenmos said. “If you come here illegally, it’s wrong and you shouldn’t be here.”

House Bill 133 bans any governing body from implementing a policy preventing state or local officials and employees from reporting people’s immigration status to law enforcement officers or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which enforces U.S. immigration policy.

The bill would also block Wyoming and any city, town or county from declaring itself a “sanctuary,” meaning “a jurisdiction that limits or refuses to communicate or cooperate with federal officials or law enforcement officers regarding the reporting of immigration status information.”

Although there was originally a felony penalty in the bill for local officials who violated House Bill 133 law when it was first introduced, the punishment was altered in the Senate.

Now, any person who lives in Wyoming can file a private legal action to “compel any non cooperating state or local official or employee to comply.”

The bill was also stripped of the provision that would have withheld state or federal dollars from noncompliant sanctuary cities, towns or counties.

“It was either compromise there or have the bill fail,” Guggenmos said of the felony penalty’s removal. He hopes a heftier penalty will be introduced in the future.

The Riverton legislator doesn’t view his legislation as “anti-immigrant,” nor did he feel HB 133 lacked support. He said the bill was focused on illegal immigration and he supported people who came to the U.S. “according to the rules and that want to integrate into society and become a contributing part of this great nation that we’re in.”

“I received a lot of emails, but all of them were positive,” he said. “I had people emailing me from Jackson that were in support of this bill. The support was overwhelming.”

Guggenmos said the only pushback he received was from the ACLU of Wyoming, which testified multiple times against the bill.

“While there are no sanctuary cities or counties in Wyoming, local governments should not face reprisals for focusing on local community needs and using taxpayer money responsibly instead of helping to deport and detain community members,” Antonio Serrano, ACLU of Wyoming advocacy director, said in January. “House Bill 133 will make immigrants feel less welcome in Wyoming. We will all be better off if the legislature rejects this bill.”

Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr previously said he wasn’t concerned about compliance with the law after it passed both chambers of the Legislature. 

Carr faced backlash for not holding undocumented immigrants for ICE without a detainer request signed by a judge, but his office reported the citizen status of people arrested and held in the Teton County jail to federal officials. 

After a recent change in policy, he will hold all undocumented immigrants requested by ICE for up to 48 hours. He wasn’t available for comment before press time.