A legislatively mandated release of recommended immigration policies from the attorney general’s office added fuel to the fire between the two Nevada officials likely vying for the governorship in 2026.
Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford this week announced the publication of immigration policies that include nonbinding recommendations for law enforcement agencies and other public entities as required by law.
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo blasted Ford, accusing him of wanting to make Nevada a sanctuary state.
“Let me be clear: The Attorney General does not have the authority to make Nevada a sanctuary state or jurisdiction,” he said in a Wednesday statement. “As long as I am Governor, Nevada will continue to follow federal law.”
Ford, who has said he intends to run for governor against Lombardo, responded that he does not support sanctuary policies and rejected the governor’s claim that his office is trying to make Nevada a sanctuary state.
“The Legislature mandated my office to provide model policies to help entities understand their legal responsibilities when it comes to immigration enforcement,” Ford said in a Wednesday statement. “That’s exactly what we did — nothing more, nothing less.”
The model immigration policies
The Nevada Legislature — through a law passed in 2021 and signed by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak — required the attorney general to provide policies containing guidance and training recommendations for law enforcement agencies, as well as courts, higher education institutions, public schools and health care facilities.
The policies should “foster trust between the community and state or local law enforcement agencies” and limit the engagement of state or local law enforcement agencies with federal immigration authorities for the purpose of immigration enforcement, the law states. They should also “ensure that those public places “remain safe and accessible to residents of this State regardless of the immigration status or citizenship of such persons,” the law states.
According to the attorney general’s office, the model policies reflect four key principles: public safety, fairness, prudent use of public money and a focus on health safety, education and justice.
They recommend state law enforcement officers should be “focused on preventing and investigating crime in our communities, not engaging in unpaid and non-criminal federal immigration enforcement,” according to the attorney general’s office.
“If people in Nevada are afraid to interact with police based on fear of immigration enforcement, then our criminal justice system loses access to witnesses and victims will be deterred from reporting crimes,” the office wrote in a statement about the policies released earlier this week.
The policies also say that the federal government is responsible for funding and conducting immigration enforcement and is not entitled to free labor from Nevada public servants.
Ford’s office noted the policies are recommendations and not requirements. If an entity decides not to adopt the proposed model immigration policy, it must inform the attorney general’s office and share a copy of the immigration policy that it currently uses, in accordance with the law.
The office also said the policies do not give sanctuary to criminals, and none of the policies limits Nevada law enforcement officers from complying with state or federal law or court orders.
The Metropolitan Police Department cooperates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on certain in-custody cases but has said it won’t conduct immigration raids. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is the only Nevada agency to enter into a 287(g) program allowing selected local officers to conduct immigration enforcement at the jail and during their routine police duties.
Backlash from Lombardo
Lombardo said the attorney general’s model immigration policies are under review by the executive branch. The former Clark County sheriff said state agencies will continue to comply with and enforce the law and reiterated the policies are not mandatory.
The governor has been a vocal proponent of Trump’s immigration policies, joining in a letter with other Republican governors saying they were “fully committed” to Trump’s deportation plans and were ready to use tools like state law enforcement or the National Guard.
Ford, on the other hand, has been an outspoken opponent of the new Trump administration, having filed multiple lawsuits and legal briefs with other Democratic attorneys general. He has put forward documents informing immigrants of their rights when stopped by police or immigration officers.
Ford reiterated that the policies do not protect criminals but instead enhances public safety.
“The Governor’s outrage would make more sense if these model policies were a surprise — but they aren’t,” he said in the statement. “The Legislature directed this work, and my office followed through.”
OAG Model Immigration Policies – 2.24.2025 by Jessica Hill on Scribd
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
