In a move that reflects a continued commitment to community relations and the dignity of all residents, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has detailed its stance on immigration enforcement. In a statement shared on Facebook, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department declared that while they recognize the authority Nevada peace officers hold to assist in enforcing federal laws, their officers will not engage in the enforcement of immigration violations and instead, they will refer citizens to the local ICE office, this policy aims to create trust between the police force and the various communities it serves.
Specifically, LVMPD highlighted that their officers are instructed not to detain or arrest individuals solely based on their undocumented status, as well as not to place immigration holds, but LVMPD will continue to collaborate with federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), when it pertains to matters concerning transnational organized crime and international terrorism. Although the sharing of criminal intelligence is standard practice, the department has made it clear; they will not stop, detain, arrest, or place immigration holds on individuals strictly on the suspicion of being undocumented immigrants.
The matter of engaging with ICE becomes relevant when foreign-born individuals are arrested for charges like violent felonies, domestic violence, or driving under the influence (DUI), as these offenses are considered to significantly impact public safety. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, "When a foreign-born individual is arrested and charged with a violent felony, domestic violence, and/or driving under the influence (DUI), the Detention Services Division (DSD) will notify ICE at the time of both booking and release." This procedure operates under the belief that keeping the community safe doesn’t necessarily require stringent immigration enforcement at every turn.
However, the department has also stated that while they will notify ICE at the time of booking and release of individuals with such charges, they will not delay an inmate's release for ICE nor will they honor immigration holds unless ICE provides a federal judicial warrant for arrest—put simply, LVMPD's policy strikes a balance between cooperation with federal agencies and ensuring that the community knows that local police are not the arm of federal immigration enforcement. An inmate with no judicial warrant from ICE will be released when their time is up, reaffirming that ICE's absence at release time without a judicial warrant, no lingering is allowed; the LVMPD will stick to their timeline.
