ICE arrests are up in Nevada, and some folks are sounding the alarm over what they call a “surge” in arrests of immigrants with “no criminal record.”
But that headline misses the bigger point: If someone is in the country illegally, that is a violation of the law. And yes, it’s grounds for deportation.
A recent article by The Nevada Independent pointed out that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made nearly 3,000 arrests in Nevada over the past year.
That’s more than double what we saw during the Biden administration.
And yes, some of those arrests were of people without other criminal convictions. But that doesn’t mean ICE is going after innocent bystanders.
Here’s the key fact the headlines gloss over: entering or remaining in the country without legal permission is itself a civil and sometimes criminal offense.
That’s not just a technicality – it’s the law.
Illegal Means Illegal
Think of it like this: if someone breaks into your house, but they don’t steal anything or hurt anyone, should they be allowed to stay?
Of course not. Just being there without permission is the problem. The same idea applies to immigration law.
When ICE arrests someone who crossed the border illegally or overstayed a visa, that’s not picking on the harmless. That’s enforcing the law.
As U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 237(a)(1)(B) makes clear, any non-citizen who “remains in the United States for a time longer than permitted” is “removable.”
Nevada Isn’t Exempt
Here in Nevada, we’ve seen the results of not enforcing those rules.
In 2024, a report from the Department of Homeland Security found that nearly 12,000 undocumented immigrants were living in Clark County alone.
That’s more than the entire population of cities like Mesquite or Boulder City.
And while not every undocumented immigrant commits violent crimes, the cost to taxpayers is real.
Public services – from schools to hospitals to law enforcement – are stretched thin. Nevada taxpayers foot the bill, whether the media wants to talk about it or not.
ICE’s Job Is Enforcement
The job of ICE officers isn’t to play social worker. It’s to enforce the law. That includes locating, detaining, and removing people who are in the country illegally.
According to ICE’s latest Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) report, more than 40% of the arrests nationwide involved people who already had final orders of removal.
That means their day in court is over. They’ve been told to leave, and they didn’t.
So when ICE finds and arrests someone with no “criminal record,” chances are they already ignored a deportation order or skipped a court hearing.
That’s not some minor oversight. That’s deliberate defiance of U.S. law.
The Real Danger: Sanctuary Policies
Some critics say ICE is being too aggressive. They argue that these arrests hurt families or disrupt communities.
But the truth is, the bigger danger is when local governments block ICE from doing its job.
In places like California, sanctuary-style policies prevent local police from cooperating with federal immigration agents. That gives criminals a head start or lets them slip through the cracks completely.
Thankfully, Nevada hasn’t gone fully down that path.
But in 2023, Attorney General Aaron Ford pushed back against cooperation with ICE in certain cases. And groups like the ACLU continue to lobby against immigration enforcement, even when it targets known lawbreakers.
Enforce the Law – Period
Nobody’s saying immigrants are bad people. America has always welcomed legal immigration.
But there’s a big difference between coming here through the front door and sneaking in the back.
ICE is doing its job by arresting and deporting people who broke the law. That includes those who may not have a criminal record – because being here illegally is already a violation.
And if we stop enforcing the law just because it makes someone uncomfortable, what’s the point of having laws at all?
It’s not about cruelty. It’s about sovereignty, safety, and respect – for the rule of law and for the millions who came here the right way.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
