The Nevada Immigrant Coalition is pushing for urgent reforms in immigration enforcement policies within the state. Their proposals include banning local law enforcement and National Guard members in Nevada from wearing masks during public interactions, restricting immigration officials’ entry into sensitive locations, and limiting the state’s data-sharing practices with federal immigration agencies.
A key demand is to prevent immigration enforcement agents from accessing daycares, schools, hospitals, and places of worship without a warrant. Earlier this year, a bill aimed at protecting public schools from such interventions was vetoed by the governor.
The coalition is also advocating for restrictions on the state’s collection and sharing of data for immigration enforcement purposes. This comes amidst a pending lawsuit by the ACLU of Nevada against the DMV for not disclosing full details of its interactions with ICE.
Coalition coordinator Noé Orosco underscored the urgency of these demands, stating they cannot wait until the regular legislative session in 2027. “The governor alluded to it a little bit, if not more explicitly, in his proclamation. Whenever a special session is called, it is because it’s a matter of an emergency. And we, the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, believe wholeheartedly that our community members being kidnapped from the streets is a crisis and it is something that urgently needs to be addressed,” Orosco said.
Despite the urgency, a source informed KUNR that Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager is unlikely to address these issues in the special session. When approached, his spokesperson, Liz Luna, did not comment further and noted the lack of staff to facilitate virtual testimonies on Assembly bills.
Currently, a resolution exists that calls for a study on immigration enforcement, which does not require the governor’s signature. Orosco criticized this measure as inadequate: “There are a lot of students that are afraid that if they go to school, either they themselves will get picked up because of their status, or one of their parents or guardians will get picked up on the way of being dropped off, but then there’s also the fear, that they’ll come home to an empty home because their parents or their guardian was picked up,” Orosco said. “So, to say that they want to do a study to assess the impacts of immigration in Nevada, it’s just not satisfactory to the coalition.”
The ACLU of Nevada has also urged the legislature to amend the governor’s crime bill to investigate unidentifiable individuals acting as law enforcement. This proposal, however, has not been incorporated into the legislation.
