One Nevada lawmaker’s plan to protect school kids from ICE raids

A Nevada Democrat is proposing a way to protect the state’s schools, students, and families from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—that’s the federal government agency in charge of protecting the US from cross-border crime and migrants who threaten national security.

Since January, ICE has been permitted by the Trump administration to enter schools and churches with the intention of finding and arresting undocumented migrants. That’s a reversal of an Obama-era policy protecting sensitive places—such as those where young children are learning—from raids.

In February, Nevada Assemblymember Cecelia González (D-Clark County) proposed AB 217—a bill that would prohibit ICE from going onto school grounds without a warrant or court order. The bill is currently in committee.

Both Washoe and Clark County school districts have passed resolutions committing to protecting students and student information from ICE. AB 217 would standardize that commitment across the state of Nevada by putting it into law, as opposed to a less-binding resolution.

If passed by both chambers in the state government—both controlled by Democrats—and signed by the governor, a Republican, AB 217 would make it illegal for school districts, public schools, and any of their employees to assist ICE or other immigration authorities by giving them access to school grounds, buildings, or facilities without a warrant or court order.

Gov. Joe Lombardo would have to make his decision on the bill fairly quickly, because in Nevada, bills automatically become law if the governor doesn’t sign or veto a bill within five days (excluding Sundays) to act on a bill if the legislative session is still on; if it has adjourned, the governor has 10 days (excluding Sundays) to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without a signature. 

AB 217 would also make it a misdemeanor for public school or district employees to disclose the immigration status of a student or the family or household of a student to ICE or immigration authorities

There is legal precedent for González’s bill. In the 1982 case Plyler v. Doe, the US Supreme Court ruled that all children are entitled to free public education in the US, no matter their immigration status.

Nevada had the highest share of households in the US that included an unauthorized immigrant as of 2022, according to Pew Research.