SUPPORT FOR REJECTION OF SANCTUARY STATE POLICIES

WHEREAS in August 2025 the Department of Justice (DOJ) labelled Nevada as a sanctuary state, a designation that generally refers to states, cities, or counties with policies that the federal government views as limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with this action following  President Trump’s  April 2025 Executive Order 14287, "Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens," which directed the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify and list such jurisdictions based on a review of their laws, ordinances, executive directives, and practices;

 

WHEREAS federal criteria for inclusion on this DOJ list included restrictions on sharing immigration-related information with federal authorities, limits on ICE access to jails or funding, non-cooperation with ICE detainers, and the existence of dedicated offices supporting undocumented immigrants, this designation put Nevada at risk of losing federal funding or facing legal action, as outlined in the President’s executive order;

 

WHEREAS Nevada's short-lived sanctuary designation was driven by state laws (NRS 228.206 and 228.208) requiring Attorney General Aaron Ford to develop and publish “model policies” guiding state and local public employees (including law enforcement) on interactions with federal immigration, which guidelines were then implemented in February 2025 as regulatory policies by the AG.  These guidelines advised state and local entities to refrain from voluntarily supporting federal immigration activities unless mandated by law, including restrictions on sharing immigration status information without a warrant and limits on cooperating with ICE in certain contexts, leading to federal scrutiny under the Trump administration's executive order;

 

WHEREAS Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo actively opposed this designation and worked to reverse it, and on September 26, 2025, Nevada signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the DOJ committing to full cooperation on immigration enforcement, including using state National Guard resources for administrative support and FEMA funds to assist ICE operations. Nevada was then removed from the list; and

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the State of Nevada, counties and municipalities are not now and never will be sanctuaries for any person who violates federal law. Nevada, having been admitted into the Union in 1864 during the Civil War, has always recognized the supremacy of the Constitution, and Federal law. The Independent American Party of NV (the Constitution Party) recognizes that the law can and must be changed through debate and persuasion, and not through revolution, insurrection or sedition, and we strongly supports our state leadership in their recognition of the supremacy of federal jurisdiction in this issue, and in their work to uphold the laws of the land to provide for the economic and civic benefit of all Nevada citizens.