Las Vegas police have announced that they will be suspending a program with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and stop detaining people on federal immigration holds.
In a statement posted on Twitter, LVMPD said after reviewing a recent California court decision, it would "no longer honor Federal immigration detainers for civil immigration violations"
California case ruled that ICE is prohibited from issuing detainers based on probable cause if the investigation only consists of a database search, and it's prohibited from issuing detainers to state and local law enforcement agencies in states where there's no explicit state statute on civil immigration arrests.
"I am optimistic that this change will not hinder LVMPD's ability to fight violent crime," Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said. "While the ruling can be seen as a setback, I am determined that through cooperation with our federal partners the goal of removing the worst of the worst can still be accomplished."
LVMPD said they expected the California court's decision to be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals, and that it would continue to cease honoring ICE detainers until the law is clarified. Police clarified that they would still be working with ICE to remove people without legal status who have committed violent crimes.
