Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell has been told by the Department of Justice (DDO) to rescind a policy that refuses to treat U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a criminal justice agency for sharing confidential criminal justice information. The issue arose when the Gallatin County Records Department asked the County Attorney’s Office for guidance about an ICE request for confidential criminal information in 2025. Cromwell stated that the county reviews hundreds of records requests each year and checks Montana law before releasing information. She also stated that only the County Commission can set county policy and that an email sent during a trial while she was in trial should not have been treated as policy. The Montana Department ofJustice has issued a deadline for Cromwell to rescind the policy or face immediate action to enforce state law.