In an at times feisty conversation with Nevada Independent CEO Jon Ralston in Reno on Wednesday, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) explained why she was willing to shut down the Department of Homeland Security over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operation and called the administration “racist.” 

As DHS enters its second week without funding, Cortez Masto said she did not regret her vote against this fall’s record-long shutdown, which put her opposite fellow Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and much of her caucus. 

But this time is different. Now, she said, anxiety over the government’s approach on immigration is touching everyone, even her family. She warned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are not targeting the worst criminals; instead, she accused the administration of brutalizing communities to meet Homeland Security Adviser Steven Miller’s quota. 

“They have, literally in this state, put pressure on law enforcement officers whose family members are undocumented and threatened them with their careers if they didn’t turn their family members over,” she said, adding that some people have also been followed home from church. “They are being followed by men with masks. That is not who we are as a country.” 

The moderate senator stressed the need for border security, saying that President Joe Biden’s administration began talking about the border too late. But she did not mince words on the Trump administration’s approach. Asked if she thought it was racism, Cortez Masto replied, “Yes,” adding that even U.S. citizens are scared.

“If the color of your skin is brown or you happen to have an accent, they’re walking around with passports because they’re afraid they’re going to get pulled over and detained,” she said.

She said she is concerned the administration will deploy more agents ahead of the midterms. Though she suggested Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) may be one reason the administration hasn’t deployed massive numbers of ICE agents to Las Vegas — she has not talked to the governor about it — she added the president “plays favorites” and noted that the state voted for him. 

The senator also skewered United States Attorney General Pam Bondi for her handling of the Epstein files, a collection of documents detailing the activities and network of convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. 

“Pam Bondi knows better,” she said, noting their overlapping terms as state attorneys general. “We worked together on sex trafficking laws and the exploitation. … That goes to show you, at the end of the day, people that want to play politics with it and actually use it to their benefit are more so willing to do that and cover it up than they are to call it out.”

Cortez Masto addressed Trump’s grip on the GOP, noting, “There’s a fear factor. There’s a fear of retribution from Donald Trump. There’s a fear of retribution from those in his orbit. … I know a shakedown when I see it.” 

She answered questions on many recent news stories, including White House nominee for Nevada U.S. Attorney George Kelesis (who she said she still wants to talk to understand his approach to the office), the need for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to respect states’ rights around regulating gaming, and whether Congress would reverse the new 90 percent cap on gambling loss deductions.  

She also discussed the political landscape. On the 2028 presidential primary, she reaffirmed Nevada should be first in the nation but dodged a question about her favorite candidates. Asked if she wanted to be Democratic leader, like the late Sen. Harry Reid (D), she said, “Not right now.” 

The senator said she enjoys her work, but did not commit to running for re-election when her term expires in 2028. 

“I don’t want people to think that everything I do is just because I’m thinking about a re-election,” she said. “That’s not the case.”

Watch the full interview below: