## Document Details Nevada‘s Efforts to Exit “Sanctuary” Jurisdiction List
A detailed “immigration policy timeline” provided by Nevada governor Joe Lombardo‘s office to the Department of Justice (DOJ) played a crucial role in the state’s removal from a list of jurisdictions identified as “sanctuaries” by the Trump administration. Obtained by *The Nevada Self-reliant* through a public records request, the timeline outlines actions taken since 2023 to align state policies with federal immigration enforcement priorities.
the timeline was submitted to the DOJ after Nevada was added to the list this summer without a clear description. Just a month later,the state signed an agreement with the DOJ formalizing collaboration on immigration enforcement.Governor Lombardo’s office stated the agreement aimed to “memorialize Governor Lombardo’s efforts to ensure that Nevada policies are consistent with federal immigration enforcement.”
The document reveals initiatives not previously announced by the governor,including encouragement of collaboration between Nevada law enforcement and U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This comes as ICE arrests in Nevada have been increasing, including arrests of individuals without criminal records.
The timeline also details changes within the Governor’s Office for New Americans (ONA). It indicates ONA severed ties with certain organizations offering services to undocumented individuals, a factor the DOJ had previously cited – the presence of an Immigrant Community Affairs Office – when designating states as potential “sanctuary” jurisdictions. However, organizations like the Progressive Leadership alliance of Nevada (PLAN) and the UNLV Immigration Clinic dispute being formal partners with ONA as the timeline suggests.
“PLAN has never had an official partnership with the Office of New American but has been a resource for immigrants navigating the naturalization process,” stated Laura Martin,PLAN’s executive director. “We advocated for the creation of the Office of New Americans so that new Nevadans planting roots in our state had a place that coudl help them thrive and contribute to our communities.”
The actions detailed in the timeline have drawn criticism from progressive lawmakers and the state’s immigrant community.Assemblywoman Cecelia Gonzalez (D-Las Vegas), chair of the Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus, expressed concern over Governor Lombardo’s approach.
“Lombardo cares more about appeasing President Donald Trump than he does about protecting the constituents that voted him in that office,” Gonzalez told *the Indy*.
The full immigration policy timeline submitted to the DOJ is available below: