(Chuck Muth) – There’s quite a bit of angst among Nevada conservatives over recent media stories suggesting that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) won’t cooperate with the Trump administration in its deportation efforts.
The confusion comes from the characterization that Metro won’t “enforce” immigration violations. Just to clarify…
Metro’s long-standing policy, dating back to 2019, is that it will notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when it arrests anyone “charged with a violent felony, domestic violence, and/or driving under the influence.”
In other words, illegal aliens who are caught committing serious additional crimes in addition to the crime of illegally entering our country.
“LVMPD will honor federal judicial warrants for arrest from ICE,” the policy continues. “If ICE is not present at the time of the inmate release, and there is no judicial warrant, DSD will release the inmate.”
Which mean illegal aliens who are already subject to a deportation order will be held for ICE.
The problem under Biden was that ICE wasn’t picking up almost half of those who LVMPD advised were in custody. Hopefully, that will change under Trump.
In any event, Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed to me that the long-standing policy has not changed. So Metro will NOT be blocking efforts by Border Czar Tom Homan to find, detain, and deport criminal illegal aliens in the Las Vegas area.
In addition, the sheriff also advised that once the Laken Riley Act becomes law, “we will add the categories of crimes we notify ICE on to include burglary, theft, etc.”
Also, “LVMPD will share criminal intelligence regarding transnational organized crime and international terrorists with any and all law enforcement agencies to include ICE.”
What’s caused concern among some is the fact that Sheriff McMahill has also stated that Metro officers won’t proactively be going out looking for illegal aliens (“enforcing”).
But that’s not their job. That’s ICE’s job. And Metro will NOT be interfering with or obstructing ICE from doing its job and will cooperate – just as it has for more than five years now.
Nevada is not a “sanctuary state” – despite efforts a few years ago by then-State Senator and now-Attorney General Aaron Ford to make it so. And Las Vegas is not a “sanctuary city.”
So don’t let these media reports confuse you. Metro is NOT blocking, nor does it intend to block, deportation efforts by ICE.
As Nevada News & Views correspondent Brittany Sheehan noted on X yesterday…
“Why is the local media acting like (Metro) has a confusing immigration policy. Commit violence or DUI? They will let ICE know they are in jail. Look Mexican? That’s fine, we won’t shake anyone down for it.”
Or as our friend Guy Nohra put it…
“As we deal with the mass deportation of illegals, do not get angry at the ICE agents for doing their jobs, at the police officers who are in the middle, or even the illegals. Save your ire for the politicians who sold us out.”
What Guy said!