Months after Las Vegas landed on the list, the entire state of Nevada has been added to a federal list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” — a designation that state officials have repeatedly renounced and could threaten millions of dollars in federal funds for the state. 

The list released Tuesday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) includes a handful of cities and 11 other states, including California and New York, that the Justice Department said have "policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws." 

Although the term “sanctuary jurisdiction” has no legal definition, the list said characteristics of a “sanctuary jurisdiction” include limiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to jails and funds, restrictions on immigration information sharing with federal authorities and having dedicated state or local offices for undocumented individuals. 

Although Nevada has no “sanctuary laws” in place, it does have the Governor’s Office for New Americans, a state office to help integrate “new and aspiring” Americans created under Democratic former Gov. Steve Sisolak and continued under Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. According to a legislative budget presentation, the office has four full-time staff and is engaged in several initiatives, including assisting state and local governments with translation and other supportive services for people with limited English proficiency. 

When asked for further reasoning for Nevada’s placement on the list, the Department of Justice responded with a link to the press release. 

After this story was first published, Lombardo posted on X that “Nevada is not a sanctuary state and will never be a sanctuary jurisdiction under Governor Lombardo.”

He added in the post that “the state has repeatedly reached out to the Department of Justice for clarification on its designation and looks forward to their timely response, so the state can ensure future cooperation between Nevada and the administration.” 

He also called out Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in the post, saying that Ford has attempted to implement sanctuary policies. Ford, who is running against Lombardo in 2026, quickly denied that statement in a separate post on X, saying he does “not support policies that provide sanctuary to criminals. Period.”

Lombardo's office has previously pushed back against the listing of Las Vegas as a “sanctuary jurisdiction” and said the state “will continue to follow federal law and cooperate with federal immigration authorities under Governor Lombardo’s leadership.” 

The designation could have massive implications in Nevada, which has one of the highest shares of undocumented people in the nation. A recent executive order directed the Justice Department to “identify appropriate Federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions, including grants and contracts, for suspension or termination.” 

Although it does not spell out more specifics, the order also says that executive agencies should "pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States."

In a statement, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Las Vegas) called the designation “bogus.” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-NV) office said in a statement that "Nevada is not a sanctuary state, and this designation is wrong.”

But even conservative policy groups agree that neither Nevada nor any of its jurisdictions qualify as having “sanctuary” policies.

In May, Las Vegas was placed on a DHS “sanctuary” list, which was met with widespread backlash from public officials including Lombardo and Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley. The list was quickly taken down and state officials said that they were working with the federal government to address the “error.” A day after the list was published, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill signed paperwork to enter the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department into a formal partnership with ICE. 

Las Vegas was not included on the much shorter new list of sanctuary jurisdictions.

Already, Nevada has been affected by President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. In the past six months or so, federal immigration arrests have increased by nearly 300 percent in comparison to the same period last year. 

Those escalating fears have sparked widespread fear in the state’s undocumented community and led to the temporary closure of several local Latino businesses.

Updated at 5:02 p.m. with additional comments from state officials. 

Updated at 5:05 p.m to correct that it was 11 other states included on the federal list of "sanctuary jurisdictions."