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…