Feride Bardakçı, a 26-year-old Turkish citizen living in Jackson, Wyoming, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at a bus stop on September 15.
ICE officers stopped Bardakçı as she was traveling to her evening job at Teton Tiger after completing her morning shift at Picnic Cafe. She works at three different restaurants in Jackson, including Annie’s Thai Kitchen.
US administration cites visa overstay
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said action was taken against Bardakçı after she remained in the country beyond the expiration of a one-year visa she obtained in 2023.
The department also alleged that Bardakçı resisted detention and refused to leave the country. ICE is to hold her until her immigration proceedings are completed.
Witnesses said the officers carrying out the operation were wearing civilian clothing. The Department of Homeland Security said the officers were wearing visible badges bearing the “ICE” designation.
She called her employer to say she could not make her shift
Monica Rozzi, general manager of Teton Tiger, said Bardakçı was handcuffed and placed in a vehicle bound for Casper.
Rozzi said that while she was being detained, Bardakçı shouted her manager’s name and tried to notify the restaurant that she would not be able to make her evening shift.
Bardakçı was later taken to the Natrona County Jail, where she is being held in ICE custody.
Local authorities were unaware of the operation
Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr said local law enforcement had not been informed of the operation in advance, describing this as unusual in terms of coordination with federal authorities.
Elisabeth Trefonas, an immigration attorney in Jackson, said the detention could indicate a shift in ICE practices. Trefonas said directly stopping people in public places rather than at their homes or workplaces was a development drawing attention in the area.
The Jackson municipal government said city police do not participate in enforcing federal immigration laws. ICE operations in Wyoming and southern Montana are run through its office in Casper.
Bardakçı’s detention in Jackson, where many foreign workers are employed in the tourism and restaurant industries, has renewed debate over the visibility of federal immigration enforcement in public spaces and its coordination with local authorities.
