Human Impact Project

A lawful permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. since 1966 was arrested by Las Vegas police for driving under the influence on December 8, 2025. He was released into ICE custody the next day and has remained in immigration detention since, despite Jordan declining to accept him for removal. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated due process after over six months in custody with no reasonably foreseeable removal.

Britania Uriostegui Rios, a Mexican transgender woman who entered the U.S. in 2003, was deported to Mexico on November 11, 2024, despite a federal judge's March order blocking her removal based on findings that she faced a substantial risk of torture. Uriostegui Rios is a trauma survivor who was sexually trafficked by cartels as a young person and faces significant threats in Mexico due to her transgender identity. She was deported without medications, identification, money, or a cell phone and went into hiding in Tijuana. ICE and Department of Justice officials acknowledged the deportation violated the immigration judge's order and was improper. The Trump administration offered to allow her to voluntarily return to the U.S., where she would be placed back in ICE custody while the government seeks an alternative country for deportation. Her legal team filed suit to prevent her return to federal custody and to secure her release under supervision, arguing the government cannot be trusted to follow court orders.

The ACLU of Nevada filed a lawsuit challenging Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's 287(g) partnership with ICE, which allows local officers to hold undocumented immigrants for transfer to federal agents. The case centers on Sergio Morais-Hechavarria, a 36-year-old man arrested in August who pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a stolen vehicle. After completing his criminal sentence, a judge ordered his release to an inpatient treatment facility, but Metro detained him on an ICE immigration hold for weeks beyond his release date. On October 16, Morais-Hechavarria was transferred to a Texas immigration facility without notice to his attorneys and in violation of the court order. The ACLU contends the 287(g) partnership violates Nevada state law and Dillon's rule, which prohibits local agencies from exercising powers not authorized by the Legislature.

Broadacres Marketplace, a nearly 50-year-old flea market and cultural hub in North Las Vegas, closed on June 21, 2025, due to fears of ICE raids. The 45-acre marketplace serves thousands of Latino customers weekly and employs hundreds of vendors. Ana Bernal Hernandez, whose family operates two food stalls at Broadacres (Gorditas El Fogón and Chilorio's) plus a standalone restaurant with nine employees, reported decreased foot traffic and a shift to takeout orders as customers fear detention. Peter Guzman, president of Las Vegas's Latin Chamber of Commerce, confirmed other Latino restaurants are experiencing slowdowns. The closure comes amid escalated immigration enforcement under the Trump administration and a partnership between Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and ICE, following an ICE raid at a similar swap meet near Los Angeles. Latinos comprise about one-third of Nevada's population and generated $46 billion in goods and services statewide in 2022.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced in October that they are resubmitting cases for review related to nearly 100 arrests made during a June 11 anti-ICE protest in downtown Las Vegas. Most charges had been dropped by the City Attorney's Office in September, but police are now resubmitting cases amid questions about whether dispersal orders were properly communicated to demonstrators. Attorneys representing arrested protesters argue many did not receive adequate notice to disperse and are calling for investigation into police conduct during the event.

Rodolfo Hernandez-Yanez, 56, was arrested by ICE agents on May 6, 2025, in a rideshare parking lot along Highway 50 near Carson City while driving his children, aged 17 and 18, to school. He had attempted unauthorized entry in 2005, was turned away, and later entered illegally. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2014 and received a deportation order in 2019; his appeals were denied in March 2023 and his petition for review was dismissed in May 2024. He was processed for deportation to Mexico as part of a broader ICE enforcement operation that arrested 33 people across northern Nevada in two days.

ICE agents conducted a multi-day enforcement operation across northern Nevada, making 17 arrests on Monday, May 5, 2025, and an additional 16 arrests by noon on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Reno, Sparks, Sun Valley, and Carson City. ICE officials stated that all arrested individuals had previous criminal convictions. Among those detained was Rodolfo Hernandez-Yanez, 56, who was taken into custody in a rideshare parking lot along Highway 50 near Carson City while driving his 17- and 18-year-old children to school in Incline Village; ICE said he had a 2014 involuntary manslaughter conviction and remained in the country after a 2019 deportation order was upheld on appeal. The operation prompted concerns from both the Nevada Immigration Coalition and the ACLU of Nevada about increased federal immigration enforcement in the state.

The Nevada Immigrant Coalition reported increased ICE enforcement activity across southern Nevada, leading to the closure of Broadacres Swap Meet, one of North Las Vegas's largest employers. Immigration advocates documented plainclothes ICE officers operating in unmarked vehicles across major Las Vegas areas, with over 30 people detained during earlier enforcement operations. The coalition urged community members to know their rights and develop family preparedness plans amid ongoing immigration enforcement activity.

Eight undocumented immigrants were arrested by ICE agents at a Las Vegas worksite, according to Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. Plainclothes federal agents targeted the business, prompting immigrant advocates to warn of increased federal immigration enforcement activity in the Las Vegas area. The Nevada Immigrant Coalition, which includes PLAN, the Culinary Union, and ACLU of Nevada, organized a news conference and press briefing to alert residents and advise them on their rights during ICE encounters. Advocates noted that enforcement operations have been targeting workplaces, particularly construction sites. Undocumented immigrants make up 9% of Nevada's workforce, the largest share of any state.