ACLU of Nevada Sues LVMPD for Withholding Public Records on Immigration Enforcement

LAS VEGAS – Today, ACLU of Nevada filed a lawsuit against LVMPD for refusing to release public records related to its expanding cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, despite publicly assuring the community for years that it would not detain individuals on behalf of ICE. The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling LVMPD to turn over documents related to its “foreign born” booking policy and its 287(g) agreement with ICE.

In January 2025, in response to the passage of the Laken Riley Act, LVMPD posted a policy which expanded the list of charges that must be reported to ICE when a “foreign born” person is booked into the jail, regardless of their immigration status. This vague policy increases the likelihood that U.S. citizens and documented individuals could be wrongfully detained by ICE. Then, just months after publicly denying any intention to cooperate with ICE, LVMPD quietly signed a formal 287(g) agreement. The agreement authorizes officers to serve and execute civil immigration warrants and to detain individuals up to 48 hours past their scheduled release.

ACLU of Nevada submitted public records requests on January 22, 2025 and June 4, 2025, seeking clarity around the policy shift and 287(g) agreement. Despite its obligations under the Nevada Public Records Act (NPRA), LVMPD has failed to provide any of the requested documents. The refusal to disclose these records raises serious concerns of a deliberate attempt to hide the full extent of LVMPD’s involvement with ICE.

ACLU of Nevada and other civil rights and immigration advocacy groups have raised flags regarding the risk of cooperation with ICE broadly and have stated that LVMPD’s foreign born policy for U.S. citizens could be used as a pretense to attack naturalized citizens and others. ACLU of Nevada has stated these public records, like most public records, are one of the best ways to shed light on what government actors, including local police, actually intend to do versus what they say they will do.

ACLU of Nevada executive director Athar Haseebullah, Esq. said:
“Nevadans have the right to know what their local police agencies are doing when it comes to cooperation with ICE. LVMPD recently signed a legally questionable 287(g) agreement with ICE, despite previous public assurances that it would not participate or subsidize the cost of detaining people on behalf of the federal government. Alongside that agreement, LVMPD’s ‘foreign born’ policy raises a variety of concerns for U.S. citizens as the federal government continues to threaten naturalized citizens with denaturalization. What is done in the dark will come to light, and we won’t be stonewalled. We will now pursue these records in court because Nevadans deserve government transparency. We will see LVMPD in court.”

ACLU of Nevada senior staff attorney Sadmira Ramic, Esq. said:
“The Nevada Public Records Act exists to ensure that government agencies, including law enforcement, are open and transparent. We requested these records months ago to better understand how LVMPD’s policies are affecting our community, but we have been delayed or blocked at every turn. These delays are not just unlawful, they’re dangerous. We cannot allow our state and local governments to operate in secrecy. The public has a right to know if Nevadans are being wrongfully funneled into the deportation pipeline.”