Nevada attorney general Aaron Ford’s legislation could have cost law enforcement $23 million in federal funding
Nevada attorney general Aaron Ford, who once championed a bill to make Nevada a sanctuary state, now says he supports President Donald Trump’s promise to deport violent criminals. The Democrat’s stark reversal comes about a month after he launched a gubernatorial bid.
“Keeping our communities safe is not a controversial statement,” Ford told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Jan. 17, just days before Trump took office. “It is my job, and I intend to do that, and I support policies that do that.”
Ford acknowledged that the federal government has the authority to carry out immigration enforcement, but said Nevada should not have to foot the bill. He also said he opposed classifying Nevada as a sanctuary state, contradicting legislation he co-sponsored as a state senator in 2017.
Ford’s bill aimed to prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from participating in federal immigration enforcement. The legislation was later amended to only prohibit police from asking about an individual’s immigration status before it was scrapped altogether. As attorney general, Ford published official guidelines in November informing immigrants of their rights when interacting with law enforcement.
Had Ford’s sanctuary state bill been enacted, state and local agencies would have stood to lose some $23 million in annual federal funding, according to fiscal notes accompanying the bill.
Since Trump had issued an executive order in 2017 barring federal funds from going to sanctuary states, Ford’s bill put some $23 million at risk for state and local agencies in Nevada, fiscal notes accompanying the legislation warned. The Department of Safety faced a potential $14.5 million cut across two subagencies, including the elimination of 29 of the 33 full-time positions in the Division of Emergency Management. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stood to lose $8.5 million in federal funds.
Since Trump’s inauguration, ICE has conducted targeted operations nationwide focused on removing dangerous aliens with criminal records, resulting in over 8,000 arrests. Additionally, all of Nevada’s house Democrats voted in January to advance the Laken Riley Act, mandating the detention of illegal immigrants accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a police officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.
Ford, who is term limited as attorney general, launched his gubernatorial bid in December, making him the only Democrat so far to challenge Gov. Joe Lombardo (R.) in the 2026 election.
Ford did not respond to a request for comment.
