Federal authorities made at least one arrest related to unlawful immigration in Carson City in the last 10 days, but the Carson City Sheriff’s Office did not assist in that arrest, Sheriff Ken Furlong said Feb. 4. Furlong said the department’s relationship with federal authorities has not changed under the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump focused on immigration in his campaign last fall and in a number of executive orders since being sworn in Jan. 20.
Furlong said the recent arrest was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and the individual was transported to the Washoe County jail in Reno, which is contracted with federal authorities, he said.
ICE representatives could not be reached for comment.
“Nothing has changed from a year ago until today as far as the way we work with federal partners,” Furlong said, noting an atmosphere of fear.
Furlong said his office reviews federal assistance requests on a case-by-case basis and would use best practices in law enforcement assistance.
Carson City District Attorney Garrit Pruyt said his office also has not seen a significant change under Trump.
“My office has not been contacted for assistance by federal immigration authorities, but if my office’s assistance is requested, we will assist immigration authorities on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “We currently coordinate with our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. attorney regarding the acquisition of warrants, case review, and prosecution of various crimes. Absent an act of Congress, as district attorney I do not possess jurisdiction to charge a person with federal crimes.
“If a person is detained on local charges and is flagged with an ICE hold, we will prosecute the individual for the local offenses, and ICE can then take whatever action they deem appropriate upon release of the local charge detainer.”
Carson City Public Defender Charles Odgers likewise told the Appeal, “If someone is picked up on federal immigration issues, this office has no legal authority or mandate to provide services as we only provide services for violations of state and local laws within Carson City.”
A directory for immigration legal services in Nevada is online: immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory/search?state=NV.
Pruyt further commented on the recently signed Laken Riley Act, which “mandates the federal detention of illegal immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The bill received some bipartisan support, including from Nevada’s two Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.
“Anyone who commits a crime should be held accountable,” Cortez Masto wrote on Facebook Jan. 20. “That's why I voted to pass the Laken Riley Act.”
Pruyt said he did not expect the Laken Riley Act “to alter how we conduct business.”
“The mission of the Carson City District Attorney’s Office has and continues to be to provide fair and just prosecutions in all criminal cases,” he said. “That means when prosecuting local charges all defendants are treated equally under the law regardless of their immigration status. Any possible immigration consequences are determined by federal authorities upon the release of a local charge detainer and are not relevant to our local proceedings. In order to ensure justice is served, no defendant is provided leniency or harsher punishment due to their immigration status.
“Our job is to prosecute each criminal action in accordance with the laws of the state of Nevada for the benefit of our community. While the Laken Riley Act has significant consequences for federal authorities, it should have no impact on local cases.”
Immigration has been one flashpoint in Trump’s second presidency. On Feb. 5, anti-Trump protesters gathered on the Capitol grounds in downtown Carson City as part of a national movement.
Some protesters, when asked, didn’t have qualms about federal authorities detaining violent criminals. But Jennifer Rau of Reno said hardworking people paying taxes should not be treated in the same way.
“That’s horrifying to me,” Rau said.
Marty Meeden of Gardnerville, part Washoe and Paiute, emphasized the history of immigration in the U.S. Meeden pointed out Native Americans preceded immigrant settlers and asked a simple question: “No matter whose land, who has earned the right to say, ‘You can’t be here’?”