Nevada officials are once again locked in a standoff with Washington, as the federal government inexplicably labels the entire state a “sanctuary jurisdiction.” Despite no clear explanation, Nevada joins notorious cities like San Francisco and New York—a move that defies logic, invites fear of federal overreach, and strikes at the core of state sovereignty.
Under President Trump’s April 28 Executive Order (14287), the Justice Department released a new list on August 5, 2025, naming 12 states—including Nevada—as jurisdictions allegedly impeding federal immigration enforcement through laws, directives, or policies. The criteria cited include restrictions on ICE detainers, limited information sharing, and the existence of immigrant-specific state offices—not concrete proof that Nevada actually meets these standards.
Nevada’s leaders are furious. GOP Governor Joe Lombardo has declared unequivocally: “Nevada is not a sanctuary state and will never be one” under his leadership. Local officials, including Congresswoman Dina Titus, a Democrat, admitted that they didn’t even understand how the state wound up on the list.
The Attorney General, a Democrat, had earlier published model immigration policies—lawfully required and widely interpreted by the left as “sanctuary” norms—but local law enforcement largely ignored them, opting instead for their own policies that allow full cooperation with ICE and detention access. That makes this federal designation even more absurd.
This isn’t just a bureaucratic error—it’s a glaring sign of Washington overstepping its bounds. The federal government is attempting to shame state governments into submission, wielding the threat of lost federal funding, even without specifying what Nevada actually did wrong. Local leadership, Republican and Democrat alike, is left scrambling to respond while federal officials refuse to clarify the basis for inclusion .
What’s at stake isn’t ideological—it’s constitutional. The federal government is effectively branding compliant states as defiant, demanding they conform to unelected bureaucrats’ definitions of policy. That undermines the principle of limited government, and where will it stop next?
Nevada deserves answers. So do its taxpayers. If the Justice Department can’t justify the label, it should retract it. Otherwise, this is merely another chapter in federal power running roughshod over state autonomy, punishing those who attempt to govern responsibly within constitutional bounds.
Original Source: KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas
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