VICTOR JOECKS: Ford seeks sanctuary from his past support of illegals

Whether Nevada is a sanctuary state is up for debate. Whether Nevadans would embrace their home becoming a sanctuary state isn’t.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice released a list of sanctuary jurisdictions. It included many obvious places such as San Francisco and Chicago. California, Illinois and New York were among the dozen states on the list. But so was Nevada.

Gov. Joe Lombardo objected immediately.

“At Gov. Lombardo’s direction, Nevada has followed all federal laws and cooperated with federal immigration authorities,” his office noted in a statement. Furthermore, “the state has repeatedly reached out to the Department of Justice for clarification on its designation and looks forward to their timely response.”

That’s a nice way of saying Lombardo has no idea what the DOJ objects to and is quite annoyed that it won’t tell him. A DOJ spokesperson wouldn’t tell me either.

That leaves speculation. Perhaps the Governor’s Office of New Americans has drawn the Trump administration’s ire. Signed into law by then-Gov. Steve Sisolak, it’s a state agency created to help both legal and illegal immigrants. Lombardo hasn’t shut it down. On Tuesday, a page on the agency’s website linked to UNLV’s Immigration Clinic, which provides legal aid to illegal immigrants. When I checked the Office of New Americans’ website on Thursday, that link was gone.

Or maybe the Trump administration is upset that the Nevada Highway Patrol and Department of Corrections aren’t participating in the 287(g) program. Perhaps Lombardo could announce a new partnership that would change the DOJ’s stance.

Even though the DOJ is in the wrong for not laying out its criteria, this still presents a political problem for Lombardo. As sheriff, Lombardo ended the Metropolitan Police Department’s participation in the 287(g) program, although he directed officers to continue working with ICE. If it sticks, this label could dampen Republican turnout in 2026.

Attorney General and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford saw an opportunity. He attacked Trump and Lombardo for having “the same chaotic approach to governance that has been rooted in their utter disregard for the truth.”

Ford also said, “I don’t support policies that provide sanctuary to criminals.”

There’s deep irony in Ford attacking someone for disregarding the truth and claiming he doesn’t support sanctuary for criminals. In 2017, he co-sponsored Senate Bill 223, a bill that would have made Nevada a sanctuary state. It would have prohibited law enforcement from sharing information with ICE about arrested criminals.

That wasn’t a one-off. In February, Ford released “Model Immigration Policies” for state and local agencies. He recommended law enforcement “not participate in any law enforcement activities where the primary or direct purpose is to enforce federal civil immigration laws.” Another told police officers not to detain someone who had an immigration detainer.

When Lombardo’s press secretary, Elizabeth Ray, pointed out what was in Ford’s policies, Ford responded to her on X, writing “Still lying.” No, she wasn’t.

Ford has finally figured out that fighting for criminal illegal immigrants isn’t popular with Nevadans. Now, he’s seeking sanctuary from his past positions.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.