Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo Reaffirms ‘Nevada Will Never Be A Sanctuary State’ Under His Leadership

Governor Joe Lombardo (R-NV) has reaffirmed that Nevada “has never been–and will never be–a sanctuary state” under his leadership after signing an enhanced crime bill, the Safe Streets and Neighborhood Act (AB4), that was amended by the legislative Democratic majority during the special session in November.

The amendment specifically prevents law enforcement from entering schools grounds without a warrant.

The Governor’s press office released a statement after concerns were raised about the amended language and the possible conflict to a Memorandum of Understanding Governor Lombardo signed with the U.S. Department of Justice that ensures: Nevada will comply with federal immigration law, continue to use the Nevada National Guard to administratively assist with immigration enforcement, and use FEMA funds to assist in immigration operations.

Nevada has never been — and will never be — a sanctuary state under Governor Lombardo’s leadership.

The updated amendment in the Safe Streets and Neighborhood Act conforms with constitutional practices related to law enforcement activities. It allows for law enforcement to do… https://t.co/MGRaidPqwv

— Governor Lombardo Press Office (@Lombardo_Press) December 3, 2025

The statement from the press office reads:

The updated amendment in the Safe Streets and Neighborhood Act conforms with constitutional practices related to law enforcement activities. It allows for law enforcement to do what they must to keep our schools safe and its privacy protections conform with FERPA, recognizing decades of federal authority related to the privacy of certain student information.

Furthermore, the amendment is consistent with the State’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Justice, which “memorialize[s] the Governor’s eforts to ensure that the state’s policies reflect consistency with federal immigration enforcement and reflect prospective commitments to that effort.”

AB4 is not an unlawful sanctuary policy. In reality, it strengthens laws against theft, domestic violence, and driving under the influence — crimes fueled by the addiction epidemic inflicted on our country by cartel activity.

At Governor Lombardo’s direction, the State of Nevada will continue to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to ensure Nevada remains safe from criminal illegal aliens who seek to bring harm and chaos to our communities.

During the legislative session earlier this year, Lombardo’s vetoed Assembly Bill 217, introduced by Democrat Assemblywoman Cecelia Gonzalez that, according to Lombardo, “would effectively make school grounds permanent sanctuary zones.”

The agreement with the DOJ wades into a heated gubernatorial campaign between Governor Lombardo and his likely challenger Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) who has engaged in over two dozen lawsuits against the Trump administration.

In his 2024 warning to the incoming Trump administration, Ford emphasized: “There is no one way to be a Nevadan. The residents of our great state -whether they’ve been here for 3 weeks or are third- generation Nevadans.”

AG Ford then announced his office “will be a bulwark” against any effort by the Trump administration “to impose unconstitutional mandates, override our system of checks and balances, or intrude upon the rights of any Nevada resident.” His office released two “Know Your Rights” documents to inform legal and illegal immigrants and their employers of their legal rights and joined Know Your Rights seminars held by the ACLU and left-of-center nonprofits.

Governor Lombardo responded:

“Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) NRS 228.206 and 228.208 require the Nevada Attorney General to draft model policies regarding public employee’s obligations when interacting with federal immigration enforcement authorities. The Nevada Attorney General exercised his constitutional independence from the Governor to issue those policies without any direct input from the Governor’s Office. The Nevada Attorney General’s non-binding Model Immigration Policies were issued on February 24, 2025, and did not align with the Governor’s directions because they indicated state and local law enforcement should not support federal immigration activities.”

Just two days after the Nevada Attorney General released those Model Immigration Policies, the Governor added: “Let me be clear: The Attorney General does not have the authority to make Nevada a sanctuary state or jurisdiction. As long as I am Governor, Nevada will continue to follow federal law.”

In 2017 as a state legislator, Ford co-sponsored Senate Bill 223 which would have “restricted law enforcement from performing certain actions relating to immigration enforcement.” In a statement posted on X, Ford now contends he “has never supported sanctuary for criminals.”

Last September, Ford and a coalition of 19 other attorneys general sent a letter to members of Congress, urging them to pass legislation “generally prohibiting federal immigration agents from wearing masks to conceal their identity and requiring them to show their identification and agency-identifying insignia.”