Las Vegas Listed as Sanctuary City Amid Controversy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Las Vegas is the only city in Nevada to appear on a Department of Homeland Security list categorizing over 500 jurisdictions as “sanctuary cities”. This designation comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on communities that it believes obstruct immigration enforcement efforts.

The list was made public on Thursday, signaling that each named jurisdiction would receive formal notice regarding their classification as noncompliant with federal immigration laws. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated, “These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” in a press release.

Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley has previously denied that the city qualifies as a sanctuary jurisdiction. A statement from Republican Governor Joe Lombardo‘s office asserted, “the City of Las Vegas is not a sanctuary jurisdiction” and indicated efforts to rectify this categorization with DHS.

In a Thursday email, Las Vegas spokesman David Riggleman reiterated that the city has never claimed sanctuary status and emphasized that local law enforcement follows federal law. “[The mayor] has said numerous times that Las Vegas is not a sanctuary city, and that law enforcement complies with federal regulations,” Riggleman said.

Michael Kagan, director of the UNLV Immigration Clinic, commented that local police generally cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) only when it is required by law. He further criticized the DHS’s classification, stating, “It is not clear what policies the Trump Administration is complaining about, or if they even know themselves.”

Berkley has supported the Metropolitan Police Department’s stance, which does not conduct federal immigration enforcement outside jails, but alerts ICE of certain foreign-born individuals under arrest. Kagan called the term “sanctuary city” a vague term lacking a clear definition.

The implications of this designation are significant for Nevada, which has a high per-capita undocumented population. Athar Hassebullah from the ACLU of Nevada expressed concern over the ethical implications of using federal funding threats to compel compliance with enforcement policies. He stated, “It is totally unethical, but this is an administration that doesn’t care about ethics or rules.”

Under an executive order signed by Trump, federal agencies are tasked with assessing local governments’ compliance with immigration enforcement, potentially leading to cuts in federal funding for jurisdictions identified as sanctuary areas.

As this situation unfolds, Nevada officials are pledging to adhere to federal laws while defending the rights and dignity of all residents.