Immigrant advocates rally against Trump policies in Las Vegas

Grassroots advocates derided President Donald Trump’s immigration-related executive orders and a bipartisan bill they say threaten marginalized communities on Tuesday evening.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse in downtown Las Vegas.

They displayed protest signs and chanted “they want us to go, but we say ‘no,’” and “who built this country? We did!” to the sound of a tambourine and a cowbell.

“Tonight we stand together to raise our voice (against) harmful policies that not just hurt our families but our future,” said Samuel Cano with the Make the Road Nevada nonprofit.

The Nevada Immigrant Coalition, which comprises more than 40 organizations, organized the rally.

Trump made overhauling the immigration system a cornerstone of his successful re-election campaign. Soon after taking office Monday, he began issuing executive orders that include increased enforcement, deportations and ending birthright citizenship.

Demonstrators also spoke out against the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an undocumented Venezuela national in February.

If passed, the bill will empower the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants arrested on counts of burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. It would also allow states to sue the U.S. “for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.”

The advocates said that the bill would eliminate immigrants’ rights to due process.

“In this country, we believe that people are innocent until proven guilty,” said Leo Murrieta, executive director with Make the Road. “That’s no longer the case if you’re an immigrant.”

The bill didn’t make clear how the law would be implemented. The Metropolitan Police Department, for example, only report suspects accused of violent crimes, DUI or domestic violence to immigration authorities.

Democrats back Riley Act

The entire Nevada Congressional delegation have supported the Laken Riley Act with U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, voting for it Monday. It now goes back to the House for final approval.

Nevadans are supposed to have “two champions,” Murrieta said.

“We saw these supposed champions vote to criminalize immigrants,” he added.

All four of Nevada’s House members also voted to approve it, including the three Democrats.

“Nevada is home to many undocumented immigrants who are hardworking members of our community, and I’ll always stand up for them,” Cortez Masto said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “But for the small number who commit crimes, the American people expect consequences.”

Wrote a Rosen spokesperson: “Senator Rosen voted for this bipartisan bill to keep Nevada families safe and make sure that individuals who commit crimes are held accountable.”

The senators didn’t address the protesters’ concerns.

Erika Castro, who’s leading the immigrant coalition, said the government’s priorities were misguided.

“While they continue to demonize immigrants and refugees, they fail to do anything to hold corporations accountable,” she said.

Poll: Majority backs deportations

A New York Times poll conducted earlier this month and unveiled over the weekend showed that there appears to be a public appetite for mass deportations. Out of the more than 2,000 Americans surveyed, 55 percent said they “either strongly or somewhat support such mass deportations,” according to the newspaper.

A total of 87 percent supported the deportation of undocumented migrants who have a criminal record, while 63 percent said they support deporting anyone who arrived in the U.S. within the last four years, the newspaper reported.

Ending birthright citizenship and ending protection of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA recipients, were less popular with 41 percent and 34 percent of responders expressing support, respectively, the poll showed.

The Trump administration hasn’t revealed specific details on deportation operations or how they would occur in Nevada.

Chuck Muth, a conservative blogger in Nevada, said he would like to see migrants with final deportation orders, including those convicted of violent crimes, go first. He believes that Trump might consider migrants who came in under his predecessor to be “fair game.”

For those who arrived much earlier, Muth said: “They’re part of our community, citizens and neighbors. I think we have to find some way of allowing them to remain in the country with a green card, but not automatically given citizenship.”

Dee Sull, director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told the Review-Journal that former President Joe Biden and the Democrats could’ve done more for the immigrant communities, such as providing a pathway for DACA recipients to have permanent protection.

“America is a nation of immigrants,” she said at the protest. “Immigrants have always been and will continue to be a vital part of this nation’s history: from building our infrastructure to driving innovation, and they continue to make our nation stronger and more dynamic and more prosperous.”

Sull said she understands Americans are frustrated with the immigration system and said she’s hopeful that maybe immigration reform similar to former President Ronald Reagan’s arrives during the Trump presidency.

“People do agree that something has to give,” Sull said.

Review-Journal staff writer Jessica Hill contributed to this story. Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.