Juan Barranco Castro, a longtime resident of Jackson, Wyoming, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the parking lot of a local church last week, according to local news reports.
Newsweek has confirmed with the ICE detainee tracker that he is being held in the Denver Contract Detention Facility.
Newsweek has reached out to ICE and the Community Bible Church for comment via email.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. The initiative has seen an intensification of ICE raids across the country, with thousands of people having been swept up and arrested. Shortly after taking office, Trump threw out DHS policies to limit where ICE arrests can take place, granting ICE the right to conduct raids in places of worship, schools, and hospitals.
ICE has faced increasing criticism in recent months for permitting its agents to conduct immigration enforcement operations while wearing plain clothes and face coverings, as well as showing up in unmarked cars to places of worship and schools. Officials maintain that masks are necessary to protect agents’ identities and shield their families from death threats.
What To Know
Barranco Castro was arrested on the morning of July 23 in the parking lot of Jackson’s Community Bible Church, according to the local outlet Jackson Hole News & Guide.
The 56-year-old has lived in the community for 26 years, friends told the outlet. Barranco Castro is originally from the Mexican state of Tlaxcala. Since 2024, Jackson’s sister city is Hueyotlipan in Tlaxcala.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
A video of his arrest shows immigration officers in vests handcuffing and putting a belly chain on Barranco Castro outside of the Church. Newsweek has not independently verified Barranco Castro’s immigration status or whether he has a criminal record.
He was reportedly first held in the Sweetwater County Detention Center and has since been transferred to the Denver Contract Detention Facility, which is also known as the Aurora ICE Processing Center. The facility, which has a capacity of about 1,500 people, is run by Geo Group.
ICE agents detained at least other nine people across western Wyoming last week.
What People Are Saying
Rosie Read, Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project founder and immigration attorney, told Jackson Hole News & Guide on Monday: “Now—and historically—ICE has targeted Jackson for enforcement,” noting that the area is “known to have a substantial immigration population, and we are sitting ducks. We are supportive of our immigrant community and ICE is looking to send a message and rattle the cage.”
ICE said in a Thursday X post: “We are ACTIVELY SEARCHING for CRIMINAL ALIENS. If you know a criminal alien, report their whereabouts: 866-DHS-2-ICE.”
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said in a July 28 press release related to the Wyoming Highway Patrol and ICE agreement: “Wyoming has been firm in our commitment to helping secure the border, and this is another step in that process. Our nation’s security depends upon effective immigration enforcement, and I am proud that our Wyoming Highway Patrol continues to support this effort and is now formalizing their commitment to this work through our agreement with ICE.”
What Happens Next
It is expected that Barranco Castro will have an upcoming immigration hearing but it is not yet clear when.
Wyoming Highway Patrol and ICE have signed an agreement to work together and assist with “immigration enforcement while performing their regular duties.”
