Gallatin County Attorney Affirms Cooperation With U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell, demanding she rescind a policy that allegedly restricts the sharing of confidential criminal justice information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The legal dispute, detailed in a press release from the Montana Department of Justice, centers on whether ICE is recognized as a criminal justice agency entitled to receive Confidential Criminal Justice Information (CCJI). Attorney General Knudsen asserts that the refusal to recognize ICE in this capacity is illegal under both state and federal law.

Cease-and-Desist Order and Deadlines

The cease-and-desist letter was sent on April 2, 2026. In the document, Knudsen demanded that Cromwell revoke the policy, claiming that restricting the flow of CCJI undermines law enforcement operations intended to address illegal immigration in Montana and puts the safety of Gallatin County residents at risk.

Knudsen set a deadline of Monday, April 6, 2026, for Cromwell to rescind the policy. He stated that if the policy is not revoked, he is prepared to take immediate action to ensure state law is followed.

ICE is very clearly a criminal justice agency that needs access to confidential criminal justice information and keep Montanans safe. Ms. Cromwell does not have the authority to obstruct the cooperation between local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies. If she doesn’t rescind the policy immediately, I’m prepared to act.

Attorney General Austin Knudsen

Origins of the Dispute

The conflict stems from an email sent in October 2025 by Cromwell’s executive assistant to local law enforcement. According to the Montana Department of Justice, that email informed officials that the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office does not legally recognize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a law enforcement agency entitled to receive Confidential Criminal Justice Information (CCJI).

The October 2025 communication further specified that ICE was only entitled to receive public documents, rather than confidential records.

Gallatin County Response

The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office has pushed back against the claim that a blanket policy exists. Audrey Cromwell clarified that the office does not have a general policy prohibiting cooperation or the sharing of information with ICE.

Cromwell stated that the October 2025 email was sent in reference to a specific request involving a civil matter rather than a criminal one. In that particular instance, the office determined that ICE was not acting as a criminal justice agency. The County Attorney’s Office advised the Records Department that a District Court Judge should determine whether the requested confidential criminal justice information should be released.

Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown supported this position, stating there is no policy in the county that restricts information from being shared with federal agencies, including ICE.

In this case, the politics around immigration and ICE are very loaded, so it’s drawing this attention. But this kind of stuff happens all the time.

Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown

Commissioner Brown added that inter-agency collaboration within the criminal justice system is a regular occurrence and suggested that the email from October 2025 had been misinterpreted as a broad policy or guidance directive.