JACKSON — A late-July U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Teton County sent ripples of fear through the community, according to residents and local leaders.

“What immigrants have brought to this nation is indisputably good for this country,” County Commissioner Mark Newcomb said after the operation. “To see tactics that are so heavy-handed that they threaten folks who are here legally and make them fearful is tragic.

“Even the immigrants who are not here legally, they, too, have a substantial body of rights that I think are not being [honored],” he added.

Over five days, ICE’s presence prompted some residents to leave their jobs, avoid public spaces such as the Teton County Fairgrounds, skip medical appointments, and stay away from grocery stores and law enforcement, a

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