Lombardo ‘fully committed’ to Trump deportation plan

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo joined with 25 other Republican governors Wednesday to pledge their support for President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to “make America safe again by addressing the illegal immigration crisis and deporting illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities and national security.”

Lombardo’s commitment came just days after he said it was “too soon to opine” on the state’s role in carrying out Trump’s planned deportation policy.

The governors wrote in the joint statement that they fully commit to supporting the incoming administration’s efforts to “deport dangerous criminals, gang members, and terrorists who are in this country illegally.”

“We understand the direct threat these criminal illegal immigrants pose to public safety and our national security, and we will do everything in our power to assist in removing them from our communities,” the statement said.

At a Western Governors’ Association press conference Monday, Lombardo said the “devil’s in the details” when it came to Trump’s campaign promises to enact the “largest mass deportation of criminals” in U.S. history, saying things get promised during campaigns but the practicality of implementing them “comes to bear.”

Lombardo also said more details were needed when asked whether he would use Nevada’s National Guard to carry out Trump’s plan.

The joint statement, however, made the Nevada National Guard’s role more clear.

“We stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal — whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard — to support President Trump in this vital mission,” the statement said.

Since he was elected in 2022, Lombardo has remained staunchly in favor of tougher border security. In January, he supported Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border fight with the Biden administration, but he said he wouldn’t join other Republican governors in sending Nevada National Guard troops to the state. On the campaign trail for governor in 2022, Lombardo said during a debate that he would not send National Guard troops to the southern border to assist with border security.

Lombardo’s office declined to comment beyond the letter from the Republican governors. It added that no more details have come out since Monday, and that the governor will discuss the policy details as soon as they’re released by Trump.

‘Potentially terrify communities’

Michael Kagan, director of the UNLV Immigration Clinic and administrative law professor, said the use of the Nevada National Guard could not only significantly increase the Trump administration’s capacity to engage in mass deportation, but it would also “potentially terrify communities in Nevada.”

“If the National Guard is visible in doing civil law enforcement in the middle of Las Vegas, then I think that would be shocking and would look more like a militarized authoritarian state,” Kagan said.

The statement Lombardo signed calls for targeting immigrants who are criminals, but a very small number of undocumented immigrants fit that description, Kagan said. There would be no need to use the National Guard to target that small number, and involving the National Guard creates an escalation, Kagan said.

“What is frightening about the potential use of the National Guard is that it suggests deporting longtime residents who are deeply integrated in our community, who are raising families and who have no serious criminal records,” Kagan said.

Laura Martin, executive director of Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund, called the Republican governors’ statement “pretty disgusting,” and accused the governor of lying during the Monday press conference.

“It just doesn’t make sense that this is the way that we’d use our resources,” Martin said.

A spokesperson from Lombardo’s office said the letter is consistent with what the governor said on Monday, “voicing his support but waiting for more policy details before commenting on specifics.”

Lombardo ‘very reasonable and responsible’

Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition team, said in a statement that local and state officials on the front lines of the “Harris-Biden border invasion” have been suffering for four years.

“On day one, President Trump will marshal every lever of power to secure the border, protect their communities, and launch the largest mass deportation operation of illegal immigrant criminals in history,” Leavitt said in the statement.

Chuck Muth, a conservative blogger in Nevada, said Lombardo has been “very reasonable and responsible” when dealing with the immigration issue, so “I’d have to defer to the governor’s judgment on this one.”

He said Trump hasn’t been inaugurated yet, and his plans remain hypothetical, so it is premature to jump to conclusions.

Muth said the border needs to be closed, which he thinks will be the easiest part of Trump’s plan. Next is the deportation part, which will be harder. Deporting undocumented immigrants currently serving time in U.S. prisons is “easy low-hanging fruit,” though the process itself will be difficult, Muth said.

When it comes to people who have been in the U.S. for a long time and are responsible members of the community, Muth would like to see a program that allows for them to stay without automatically granting citizenship.

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