President-elect Donald Trump has promised to cut down on immigration and ramp up deportations once he’s in office. While it remains to be seen how these plans will play out, immigration advocates in Teton County are bracing for changes, where about 13 percent of the population was born outside the U.S according to the 2020 Census.
Just this week, advocates organized a community forum at St. John’s Episcopal Church. More than a hundred young children to elderly people packed into the church. On their way in, some people grabbed headsets for English-to-Spanish translation. It was standing room only by the time bilingual immigration attorney Rosie Read stepped up to the mic.
“There is a lot we don’t know about what’s coming,” she said. “The campaign rhetoric this time around was much more extreme.”
Read is the legal director and founder of the Wyoming Immigration Advocacy Project (WIAP). The non-profit provides accessible and affordable legal assistance to low-income immigrants and their families in the Teton area.
“Trump’s second administration will likely have learned lessons from the first administration about how to better accomplish their aggressive immigration agenda,” she said.
Read emphasized that Trump is not yet in office and differentiated between immigration laws, which can only be created or changed by Congress and the President, and immigration policies.
“Trump cannot, for example, eliminate immigration options that are provided by law, such as family-based visas, new visas for crime victims and asylum,” she said. “The Constitution, which is the most fundamental foundational set of laws we have in this country, applies to everyone in the United States, regardless of immigration status, including undocumented immigrants.”
While deportations during Trump’s first administration were lower than during Obama’s first and second presidencies, both the Biden and Obama administration prioritized the expulsion of people posing a threat to national security or public safety, or who recently crossed the border.
Trump’s first administration broadened the directives about who to prioritize in removal efforts and the incoming administration has indicated that it will do so again.
Immigration attorney Rosie Read speaks at a community forum on immigration in Jackson. Read is the legal director and founder of the Wyoming Immigration Advocacy Project, which provides legal assistance to low-income immigrants in the Teton area. (Hannah Habermann / Wyoming Public Media)
However, Read said there are limits on what the federal government can require states to do when it comes to implementing national immigration policy.
“I’ve spoken with both [Jackson] Police Chief Weber and [Teton County] Sheriff Carr. Neither of them expects this election to change anything about the way they do business here in Teton County or the town of Jackson,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) recently alleged that Teton County Sheriff Carr was “foiling” ICE, which the sheriff has since refuted. Roughly 30 percent of the county voted for Trump in the 2024 general election.
Read said the officials told her that officers at the local jail will continue to call ICE (U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement) when non-citizens get arrested. However, they won’t be going out of their way to ask questions about immigration paperwork.
But Read added that could change, depending on what happens in the next state legislative session.
“Whether the state government might try to force all Wyoming law enforcement officers to go after immigrants remains to be seen,” she said.
Even so, Read encouraged audience members to carry any valid immigration documents with them at all times, create a plan to take care of any dependents if deported and fill out a power of attorney document, and to know their rights when speaking with immigration officers.
Following Read’s remarks, One22’s executive director Carrie Stanley spoke about how the organization can support those experiencing a sudden loss of income in the case of a deportation. The community-based non-profit is focused on supporting individuals and families facing financial and cultural challenges that live and work in Teton County.
“Our emergency assistance program can help with essential expenses such as emergency rent to avoid eviction, emergency shelter, child care to maintain your employment if needed, emergency transportation for necessary travel or even, perhaps, relocation expenses,” she said.
Anahi Morillon is a bilingual substance-use therapist at the Mental Health and Recovery Service of Jackson Hole, who shared tips on how to deal with post-election anxiety and depression and led the crowd in a breathing exercise.
After the forum, she said it was “eye-opening” to see the support in the community and acknowledged that it’s an uncertain time.
“I know right now it’s really scary. It’s important to take care of yourselves and your mental health,” she said. “Reach out if you need anything. Talk to a friend. Talk to someone you feel safe with. If you don’t have anybody reach out to me or anybody that is a mental health professional.”
The ACLU of Wyoming also held a “Know Your Rights” training in Jackson on Nov. 23.
