Feb. 26, 2025
Carson City, NV – Today, Attorney General Aaron D. Ford released the following statement in response to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s misleading statement about the model immigration policies the OAG published on Feb. 24, 2025.
“Let me be clear: I do not support sanctuary policies. Period.
The Governor’s claim that my office is trying to make Nevada a sanctuary state is false. Here’s the reality: The legislature mandated my office to provide model policies to help entities understand their legal responsibilities when it comes to immigration enforcement. That’s exactly what we did — nothing more, nothing less.
By statute, these are non-binding guidelines, not mandates. And by statute, law enforcement agencies are required to inform my office of their intent to adopt these model policies or develop their own. That’s not my directive; it’s the Legislature’s. Moreover, these model policies do not protect criminals or prevent cooperation with law enforcement. But they do enhance public safety.
The Governor’s outrage would make more sense if these model policies were a surprise — but they aren’t. The Legislature directed this work, and my office followed through. If the Governor didn’t know that, the question isn’t about my office — it’s about his.
I won’t waste time on political posturing. My focus is on doing the job Nevadans elected me to do.”
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