Twenty-five Las Vegas-based Nevada National Guard soldiers are now working alongside federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, marking a significant escalation in the state's role in federal immigration enforcement. Mayor Shelley Berkley confirmed that Governor Joe Lombardo told her 25 soldiers are helping in Las Vegas, while five soldiers are in the Reno area.
The mayor's immediate response to hearing the news was direct action. "I called the governor to say, 'What's going on here,'" she said, as reported by 8 News Now. The governor assured her the work is "clerical," though the deployment has sparked fierce political debate about the militarization of immigration enforcement.
Administrative Support Role Defined
The Nevada National Guard will help with form filling, record maintenance, call handling, bookkeeping, report preparation, case management and vehicle maintenance, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting on the governor's office statements. Up to 35 of approximately 4,500 Nevada National Guard soldiers will assist the Department of Homeland Security, with the governor's office emphasizing that each member volunteered.
The mission operates under federal Title 32 status, which keeps guard members under the governor's command but allows them to work with ICE, as detailed by Fox 5 Vegas. The Secretary of Defense has authorized the Nevada National Guard's ICE support mission through mid-November.
Where Operations Are Focused
The Las Vegas-area soldiers are likely supporting operations connected to the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office at 501 South Las Vegas Boulevard Suite 200, which handles immigration bonds and case processing for Southern Nevada, as per the Center for Immigration Assistance documentation. The region also includes the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump at 2190 E Mesquite Avenue, a CoreCivic-operated facility that houses ICE detainees, as confirmed by ICE official records.
Political Backlash Intensifies
The deployment has created stark political divisions across Nevada. The Nevada National Guard's mission is to protect us, not sow more fear in our communities by doing Trump's dirty work, Rep. Dina Titus said last Friday on X. The Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus issued a statement saying Lombardo has chosen Trump over Nevada.
Economic concerns have also emerged from state legislators. "What we are seeing right now in real time is international tourism is crashing," said State Senator Fabian Donate, as reported by Fox 5 Vegas. "So, what we are seeing through this action is that the deployment is going to politicize our national guard and send a message to immigrant families and to Nevadans that they are not safe in their own neighborhoods."
The ACLU of Nevada has been particularly vocal in its opposition. "Allowing national guards members to participate in ICE enforcement even if it's for quote on quote administrative or logistical support in effect means you're going to clear up more ICE officers to go after people on the ground," said ACLU of Nevada director Athar Haseebullah.
Part of Broader National Strategy
Nevada is one of 20 states included in the federal request. The Defense Department late last month authorized several states, all with Republican governors, to deploy National Guard assistance with mass deportation efforts. In December, Lombardo and 25 other Republican governors signed a joint statement saying they stand ready to utilize state law enforcement or the National Guard to support President Donald Trump's mission to deport individuals who pose a threat to the U.S.
Escalating Immigration Enforcement
The deployment comes as immigration enforcement has intensified dramatically in Nevada. Immigration arrests in Nevada have ballooned more than 300 percent compared to the same period last year, and on Tuesday, the entire state was deemed a "sanctuary state" by the federal government — a designation that could threaten millions in federal funds, as mentioned by The Nevada Independent.
It marks the latest escalation in President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign, which has rattled the state's undocumented community of about 200,000. The state is also preparing infrastructure improvements to satisfy new federal requirements for funding border security by upgrading detention facilities at the Washoe County Jail to include dedicated holding cells and office space for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Community and Military Perspectives
Veterans in the immigrant advocacy community have questioned the motivations behind volunteer participation. "You're preying on their patriotism, or you're preying on younger soldiers that joined because they want to get money for school," veteran Manuel Santamaria said, as detailed by 8 News Now. Santamaria, with the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, believes soldiers who volunteered were likely motivated by financial incentives including consistent salary and benefits. "The Nevada National Guard being used for immigration enforcement in any way is going to continue to increase fear in our community," Democratic Assembly member for Clark County District 3 Selena Torres-Fossett told 8 News Now.
Historical Context and Legal Implications
Such a deployment of troops — whose responsibilities typically include responding to natural disasters or helping with overseas missions — marks a drastic escalation of their prior use as it relates to immigration enforcement. Lombardo has previously rejected deploying the National Guard on immigration-related assignments, including sending them to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024, making the current arrangement a notable policy shift.
The mission continues through mid-November, coinciding with ongoing legal challenges and political debates about federal immigration policy. As Nevada grapples with its new "sanctuary state" designation from the federal government, the National Guard deployment adds another layer of complexity to an already contentious issue that touches on community safety, economic concerns, and fundamental questions about the role of state resources in federal immigration enforcement.
