VICTOR JOECKS: Ford fights for illegal immigrants, not Nevadans
Nevadans are concerned about crime. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is concerned that criminals may be deported.
On Wednesday, Ford released “Know Your Rights” guidance for immigrants. It reads like a pamphlet from an immigration lawyer.
“You are not required to tell a police officer or immigration agent information about your immigration history,” it states. Additionally, “a warrant of deportation/removal does not allow officers to enter your home without consent.” Also, his office “does not request information about immigration or citizenship status from people who contact the office.”
“I know that many in our immigrant communities are concerned about the current rhetoric in our political climate,” Ford said in a statement. Further, he wants employers to know “how best to protect themselves and their employees in response to the president-elect’s rhetoric threatening workplace raids.
There’s not a lot of subtlety here. With widespread voter support, Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations. Incoming border czar Tom Homan has said the work will be done in stages. He’ll prioritize the removal of illegals who’ve committed other crimes and those who’ve been ordered to leave. Ford wants to obstruct those efforts. That could have deadly consequences.
Consider the story of Jose Ibarra. He illegally entered the country in 2022. Customs and Border Protection caught him, but the government released him. This is an example of why Biden’s border policy was dubbed “catch and release.”
In September 2023, New York police arrested Ibarra for child endangerment. According to ICE, New York released him “before a detainer could be issued.” That would have allowed immigration officials to deport him. Later in 2023, police in Georgia cited him for stealing from a Walmart. Because Ibarra wasn’t arrested, officers didn’t use the federal program that would have identified him as illegal.
In February, he murdered nursing student Laken Riley while she was jogging on the University of Georgia campus. On Wednesday, a judge found Ibarra guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
I asked Ford’s office if he believed it was appropriate for law enforcement officials not to deport Ibarra. No response. I asked if Ford would want Nevada officials to tell ICE if they arrested someone with Ibarra’s background. No response. I asked if Ford thinks Nevada should be a sanctuary state. No response.
There are deadly consequences when law enforcement officials, such as Ford, protect illegal immigrants instead of Americans. Riley’s murder isn’t an isolated instance. Police believe Nilson Trejo-Granados killed Jeremy Poou Caceres, a 2-year-old boy in Maryland. Trejo-Granados is in the country illegally. Last year, ICE attempted to deport him after he was arrested for theft, but local police released him. There are many more examples of illegal immigrants harming Americans, including in Nevada.
Wilber Ernesto Martinez Guzman came to the United States illegally from El Salvador. In 2019, he murdered four people in Northern Nevada and was sentenced to life in prison.
Trump wants to deport illegal immigrants such as Ibarra and Martinez Guzman. Ford wants to prattle on about their “rights.”
Remember this if — or when — Ford runs for governor in 2026.
Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.