09-05-2025
Immigration coalition wants answers after increased ICE activity in Carson City and Reno
Members of the Nevada Immigration Coalition and Nevada lawmakers in Carson City Thursday. (Nevada Immigration Coalition video screengrab)
A heightened federal immigration enforcement presence in Nevada is a tactic to create fear, and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo should be assuring Nevadans their rights will be protected, the Nevada Immigration Coalition said Thursday.
The press conference comes after an estimated 30 people were arrested this week by federal agents in Northern Nevada, including in Reno and Carson City.
Noé Orosco, the Government Affairs Manager with Make the Road Nevada, warned that having immigration enforcement in Carson City where 'laws of our state are being made' shouldn't be seen as a coincidence.
'That is intimidation, plain and simple,' he said.
The coalition earlier announced it had canceled its immigrant lobbying day scheduled for next week out of fears of prolonged presence of federal immigration officials.
Organizers have previously warned of increased immigration enforcement in the state over the last few weeks, but have struggled to verify how many people have been detained by immigration officials in Southern Nevada.
Athar Haseebullah, the executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, said immigration actions taken by President Donald Trump and his administration have been 'devoid of due process' as federal officers have targeted undocumented immigrants, Green Card holders and 'even U.S. citizens in some instances.'
'Realistically, there needs to be a press conference next door because the governor has been silent,' Haseebullah said. 'We need the governor to stop being silent.'
Nevada Current asked Lombardo's office to comment on reports of an escalated presence of federal enforcement officers in the state, what communication the governor's office had with them, and how he plans to ensure people receive due process if they are detained.
Elizabeth Ray, a spokeswoman for the governor's office, referred all questions to immigration enforcement officials.
'Nevada is not a sanctuary state or jurisdiction, and Nevada will continue to follow federal law under Governor Lombardo's leadership,' Ray said in an email.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't respond to questions.
Having repeatedly promised 'mass deportation' on the campaign trail, since his inauguration Trump has rescinded a 2011 policy prohibiting immigration enforcement in 'sensitive' places such as schools, churches, and hospitals, targeted green card holders, and flaunted court orders finding the administration's immigration policies have failed to provide people with due process under the law.
Haseebullah said many of these actions are done in cooperation with state and local agencies.
'For any government institution in Nevada that decides it's going to cooperate with ICE in these investigations in violation of the law, expect to hear from us,' he said. 'If you are hiding records, which many government entities are … we will find them, we will bring legal action against you and you will be held accountable for that.'
The coalition cautioned that even the threat of enforcement could disrupt and harm people, especially families. They also said increased U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement activity would damage the state's fragile economy since it depends heavily on its immigrant workforce.
'We are day laborers, bakers, food service workers, parents and neighbors,' Orosco said, adding that the state's immigrant community 'contributes over $20 billion annually to the economy.'
Several state Democratic lawmakers also joined the coalition during the press conference as they work to pass several bills that seek to provide a measure of reassurance to anxious families.
Assembly Bill 217 would prohibit school employees from granting permission to immigration officers to enter a school, or provide student records, including information on a student's family, without a warrant. Assembly Bill 460 seeks a streamlined process for selecting a temporary guardian for minors prior to any immigration action.
'Every Nevadan, regardless of their immigration status, deserves due process, dignity and protection under the law,' said Democratic Assemblymember Cecelia González, who is sponsoring both bills. 'Immigrants are not a threat to Nevada, they are essentially.'
The coalition encourages people to be aware of their rights if confronted by enforcement agencies
The Nevada Attorney General's office has similarly published 'know your rights' pamphlets for individual immigrants and for immigrant employers.
