LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The ACLU of Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), challenging its 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The organization argues the arrangement, which allows local officers to perform certain federal immigration enforcement duties, violates Nevada law.
According to the ACLU, the state legislature has never granted local law enforcement the authority to enter into such agreements. Under the 287(g) program, LVMPD officers can execute civil immigration warrants and detain individuals at the Clark County Detention Center on behalf of ICE, even when they would otherwise be released.
The lawsuit, ACLU of Nevada v. LVMPD, was filed on behalf of Morais-Hechavarria, an ACLU of Nevada client who remains in custody under an ICE hold despite a Nevada judge ordering his transfer to a treatment facility.
Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, condemned the agreement, stating that “LVMPD’s 287(g) agreement with ICE… forces Nevada taxpayers to cover the cost of ICE’s work while simultaneously disregarding a lawfully issued order by a Nevada court.”
He added, “A person shouldn’t rot in a detention facility when ordered into treatment because the federal government has pressured local governments and local police into complicity with a disastrous… approach to immigration enforcement.”
Sadmira Ramic, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Nevada, emphasized the broader implications, saying, “This is not just a civil rights issue but has transformed into a human rights issue.” She argued that LVMPD’s cooperation with ICE “undermines our judicial system and creates unnecessary suffering,” reaffirming the ACLU’s commitment to ensuring that local entities cannot overstep their authority.
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