Immigration and Stopping ICE
I am a product of immigration. My grandmother came to the United States from a small mountain town called Temorìs in northern Mexico. She met my grandfather and moved to Las Vegas with him in the 60s. The rest is history. Working a union job as a culinary worker on the strip, she was able to make a life for herself and her family. My dad became a first-generation college graduate and has had a three decade career as an educator. Now, I build on that legacy as the first in my family to seek public office. With hard work, each generation can have more opportunities than the last. At least, that is what this campaign is trying to preserve.
I take the rapidly devolving situation with ICE as one of the gravest issues of this election. The vast majority of undocumented Americans are just trying to build a secure life for themselves and their families. Our system of immigration is deeply broken and federal dysfunction has left many to make the best of a bad situation. I have known and loved undocumented people and DACA recipients, and anyone who hasn’t cannot be allowed to weigh in on the issue. We have to call-out every effort to dehumanize immigrants, both documented and undocumented. We aren’t talking about numbers on a graph but real people, real lives.
It’s also important to call out that the current wave of mass deportations is not about “law and order.” This administration is moving the goal posts by actively removing legal means of immigration for hundreds of thousands of people. For example, the administration has removed Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans and Haitians, and they are on track to possibly remove TPS status for over ten countries, most of which the government has listed a travel warning. If these countries are too dangerous for American travelers, then why are we deporting legal migrants back to those countries? The same is true for the process of seeking asylum in the United States. We have seen unprecedented moves to prevent people from pursuing this legal migration process at designated ports-of-entry.
While the goalposts have been moved for immigrants, the administration has increased its brutality and its disregard for the law. Every person (not just every citizen) has a constitutional right to due process in our country. There has to be a formalized, fair process that allows people apprehended by ICE to have an opportunity to face a judge and be treated equally under the law. Instead, we have seen people deported without any of their rights acknowledged, and in some of the worst cases, sent to CECOT prison in El Salvador (even if the person wasn’t a Salvadorian national). ICE is indiscriminate and violent with their targeting, often having cases of mistaken identity and detaining documented citizens. Now, things have escalated with a rise in deaths, both on the streets and in detention centers.
We need to protect our communities from this affront to justice. I pledge to do everything in my power to protect Nevada from ICE and end our cooperation with the agency.
Policy Priorities:
From the 83rd Legislative Session →SB 234: This bill, sponsored by Senator Doñate, would mandate Nevada Medicaid to cover certain emergency medical services for Nevadans who would otherwise be ineligible due to their immigration status.
From the 83rd Legislative Session →AB 268:This bill, sponsored by assembly member Jauregi, would provide free, universal school lunch in k-12 schools. A universal program ensures that no child falls through the cracks, including children from mixed-status immigrant families who may avoid other means-tested programs out of fear.
From the 83rd Legislative Session →AB 238:This bill, sponsored by assembly member D’Silva, would create a Commission on Racial Equity and Social Justice whose purpose would be to study racial discrimination and its economic, political, educational, and social impacts in Nevada. This bill passed and was vetoed by Governor Lombardo.
From the 83rd Legislative Session →AB 140: This bill, sponsored by assembly member Gonzalez, would have reformed the renewal rules for Driver Authorization Cards (DACs), which are a critical form of identification for undocumented communities. It would eliminate the 4-year expiration period and aligns the expirations with the standards for Driver’s licences. This bill passed but was vetoed by Governor Lombardo.
From the 83rd Legislative Session →SB 172: This bill sponsored by Senator Flores, would create an Agricultural Workers’ Bill of Rights, removing exemptions from Nevada’s overtime and minimum wage laws for these workers. Additionally, the bill would require rest periods, prohibit “stoop labor”, mandate human housing conditions, enforce health and safety information be provided in multiple languages, and legalize collective bargaining for agricultural workers.
