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Published on February 01, 2025
Las Vegas Police Revise Policy to Respect Immigrant Dignity and Limit ICE Notifications to Specific ArrestsSource: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

A policy revision acknowledges the dignity of all persons "regardless of their national origin or immigration status." This change follows the enactment of the Laken Riley Act, which impacts local law enforcement practices. The department emphasized its commitment to community-oriented policing and underscored the importance of respect for public safety and professionalism for all community members, as stated in a Facebook post by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Under the revised policy, LVMPD officers will not enforce immigration violations—they won't stop, question, detain, arrest, or place an immigration hold on individuals based solely on their undocumented status. This marks a significant shift in the department's operations. Yet, it doesn't mean a severance of cooperation with federal agencies. LVMPD will maintain sharing of criminal intelligence related to transnational organized crime and international terrorism with partners including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In a public post, LVMPD outlined the conditions under which ICE would be notified: "When a foreign-born individual is arrested and charged with a violent felony, domestic violence, driving under the influence (DUI), burglary, theft, larceny, petit larceny, and/or assault of a law enforcement officer, the Detention Services Division (DSD) will notify ICE at the time of both booking and release." These notifications apply to charges that LVMPD identifies as having significant implications for public safety. The policy also specifies that LVMPD "will not delay the release of an inmate for ICE" but will comply with federal judicial arrest warrants issued by the agency.