Latest news with #NevadaImmigrationCoalition
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nevada unions, elected officials rally in support of ICE protests
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Amid the triple-degree heat, Las Vegas union members, workers and elected officials rallied in protest of escalating action from federal immigration agents—wary Nevada could be next. The afternoon rally was called together by Nevada's SEIU Local 1107 in solidarity with their California chapter following the arrest of SEIU president David Huerta. Federal authorities arrested Huerta for interfering with law enforcement operations during an anti-ICE protest. 'He was out exercising his constitutional rights, and they arrested him,' Erika Watanabe, a SEUI local 1107 member, said. 'They injured him, then arrested him, and then detained him.' Huerta was released Monday afternoon according to CBS News and is set to appear in court for initial appearance on one felony charge. The Las Vegas rally of over a hundred people at the steps of the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse featured speakers from ACLU-Nevada, Nevada Immigration Coalition, NAACP, Culinary Union, the office of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, and Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom. 'If Trump wants to bring the National Guard into Las Vegas, he's going to destroy our economy forever,' Segerblom said. 'Because we're not going to just let the National Guard do anything. We're going to fight the National Guard.' Segerblom continued to express concerns about the possibility of National Guard troops becoming active in Nevada. 'Without undocumented workers, this town would shut down and if [Trump] wants to dare to bring the National Guard in here, or, even better, the Marines, this town is going to blow up,' he said. The Trump administration's efforts in California received some praise but mostly significant pushback. Tedd Pappageorge, the Culinary Union Secretary Treasurer responded to claims the federal government is responding to people simply breaking the law. 'No, it's actually not as simple as that,' he said. 'What's really going on is we have folks that have been here for five years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years. They're parts of the community. They go to our churches, their kids go to our schools, and they power this economy.' The Culinary Union cited additional concerns with alleged escalating ICE raids in Nevada pointing to the Nevada Immigration Coalition's post of 12 raids over the Easter weekend. 'What we know is that at the end of the day, the idea that these ICE agents are going to go to schools and churches and workplaces and take folks out that are otherwise law abiding,' Pappageorge said. 'Nobody voted for that. Everybody agrees there needs to be a secure border, and everybody agrees that violent criminals should be deported. But this is the United States of America. There has been due process.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration advocacy group says ICE agents stepping up enforcement in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An immigration advocacy group expects increased activity in Las Vegas from federal agents enforcing immigration laws. In a news conference held on Monday, the Nevada Immigration Coalition said a hundred Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be in the Las Vegas valley until Easter Sunday. 'Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations for ICE, an ICE spokesman said. What is a migrant? What is ICE? 10 terms to help you understand the debate over immigration Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was in Las Vegas Monday, and she addressed the ICE deportations with 8 News Now. 'The administration should follow the law. They're not above the law. They've acted with lawlessness, unfortunately,' Cortez Masto said. Clark County School District does not check students' immigration status She also added that it's important people know their rights. 'They are hardworking individuals, whether you're a dreamer, you're a [Temporary Protective Status] recipient. You're not committing crimes in this community, and it is important that they have every due process,' Cortez Masto said. President Donald Trump spoke at the Oval Office on Monday sitting next to El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele. The Trump Administration has sent people that ICE agents have arrested to El Salvador's prison. 'We have millions of people that should not be in this country that are dangerous,' Trump said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in the Oval Office only people who love our country should be here. 'Mr. President, you wanted people to know that there was consequences if you harm people and endanger families and this is a clear consequence for the worst of the worst, that we have somewhere to put them,' Noem said. According to the Nevada Immigration Coalition, ICE agents arrested 8 men last Friday at a worksite near Eastern and Ogden avenues. They were described as construction workers. At Monday's news conference, Laura Martin with the Nevada Immigration Coalition said it has seen an increase in plain clothes ICE agents in Southern Nevada. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
