Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Titus says Nevada shouldn’t assist with immigration crackdown

Federal Justice Tower Opening Ceremony

Steve Marcus

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., attends an opening ceremony for the Federal Justice Tower, a new office building in downtown Las Vegas, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016.

Click to enlarge photo

Gov. Brian Sandoval sits in his office at the Capitol on Friday, April 17, 2015, in Carson City.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed an executive order limiting state agencies, including law enforcement, from assisting President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on undocumented immigrants. Now, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., is calling on Gov. Brian Sandoval to follow suit.

Inslee’s executive order explicitly states that local law enforcement agencies will not arrest people solely for violating civil immigration law. It also prohibits agencies from entering agreements with the federal government authorizing them to make such arrests.

More broadly, it says the state will not use its resources to demand documents related to immigration status or assist in the creation or enforcement of a religious registry.

It reads, “The state of Washington shall remain a welcoming jurisdiction that embraces diversity with compassion and tolerance and recognizes the value of immigrants.”

The executive order states that undocumented immigrants made up about 4.9 percent of the state’s workforce in 2012 and paid $301.9 million in state and local taxes.

In her letter to Sandoval, Titus says immigrants account for $2.9 billion in taxes paid in Nevada.

“The Trump administration has sent shockwaves throughout Nevada in recent weeks by putting a target on the backs of immigrants with multiple sets of orders from the White House and Department of Homeland Security,” the letter reads. “The State must act in order to ensure that families can continue to live, work, and contribute in Nevada without living in a constant state of fear.”

Earlier this month, Sandoval spoke out against a leaked memo from the Department of Homeland Security that raised the possibility of using as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants. He questioned its legality and said he “didn’t think it would be an appropriate use” of the Nevada National Guard.

A DHS spokesperson later said the memo was an early draft not seriously considered.

Locally, Metro Police participate in the federal 287(g) program, which allows qualified officers to run the names of inmates through federal databases and hold immigration violators for up to 48 hours until immigration officers pick them up.