Border Patrol Agents Prompt Protest, Police Response in Wyoming

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — A protest targeting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers staying at a Rock Springs hotel culminated in police intervention Thursday morning after demonstrators used vehicles to block the federal agents’ cars from leaving the parking lot.

According to the Rock Springs Police Department, a crowd gathered around the agents’ vehicles at the Clarion Hotel. The agents requested assistance from local police to leave the city safely. Officers responded and helped escort the federal officers out of the parking lot. No arrests were reported during the incident.

In a statement, police acknowledged the “complex political struggle” but emphasized their priority was public safety. “Lawful assembly will always be protected,” the statement read. “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.”

The protest reflects heightened tensions in Wyoming and nationwide following the recent fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis. Protests and heated debates over immigration enforcement have surfaced across the state in recent days.

Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle criticized the protesters’ actions, which he said involved attempts to “confront, follow, and harass” the off-duty officers. He also sought to dispel rumors of “unlawful detentions, door-to-door immigration checks, and demands to show papers” occurring in the community.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson, Jason Mower, later clarified that the sheriff’s description of protester behavior was relayed by the federal agents and not directly observed, calling the statement a forward-looking “call for civility.”

The presence of federal immigration officers in the interior of the state is not new but has drawn increased scrutiny. Sweetwater County has a formal partnership with ICE through the 287(g) program, which allows trained local deputies to question individuals about their immigration status during routine patrols—one of several such agreements in Wyoming.

It remains unclear what specifically brought the CBP agents to Rock Springs, a city roughly 900 miles from the nearest U.S. border.