Just how involved will Nevada’s National Guard be in ICE operations?

A spokesperson for the governor said last week that he was preparing to authorize the Nevada National Guard to assist the Department of Homeland Security in a temporary, administrative capacity. The announcement was met with pushback by Democrats and immigration advocates.

In a Friday statement, his office said Lombardo responded to a federal request for assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, which sought support from the Department of Defense in May. The Department of Defense extended the request for assistance from the National Guard in 20 states, according to the governor’s office.

Up to 35 of approximately 4,500 Nevada National Guard soldiers will assist the Department of Homeland Security, a spokesperson for the Nevada National Guard told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week. The governor’s office said each member of the guard volunteered.

The Nevada National Guard will help with form filling, record maintenance, call handling, bookkeeping, report preparation, case management and vehicle maintenance, according to the governor’s office.

“Under Governor Lombardo’s leadership, Nevada stands firm in its commitment to uphold federal law and collaborate effectively with federal immigration authorities,” the governor’s office said in the statement.

His office said the guard’s activity will be different from other federal uses of state National Guard, such as when President Donald Trump mobilized the California National Guard in July to support federal immigration officials.

Lombardo will maintain control of the Nevada National Guard, and the guard will play a similar role that it played following COVID-19 in 2020 in supporting local health departments with testing and vaccination efforts, according to Lombardo’s office.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.