More than 100 protesters from Southern Nevada stormed the office of Attorney General Adam Laxalt this morning, demanding to speak to Laxalt about a federal lawsuit that has put a hold on executive actions on immigration.
Shortly after taking office in January, Laxalt signed Nevada onto the lawsuit with 25 other states. The case aims to revoke President Barack Obama’s executive actions giving more than 5 million people a reprieve from deportation and a pathway to citizenship.
The immigration actions have divided Nevada politicians and residents, while leaving uncertainty for undocumented immigrants and their families.
Obama’s orders stemmed from years of congressional inaction on how to deal with the flow of undocumented immigrants coming from around the world into the United States.
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada staged the event.
Laxalt left the building minutes before protesters arrived for an “appointment outside the office,” said Laxalt’s chief of staff, Nate Trutanich.
There was one police officer in the building in downtown Carson City when the protesters entered and overtook the reception area.
More than 50 protesters jammed into the reception area while others paraded outside the building. Ten protesters were willing to be arrested inside the building.
After backup police arrived, officers said they were not going to arrest anyone inside the building.
The ten people then went onto Carson Street, the capital city’s main thoroughfare, to stop traffic. There was a traffic jam for 10 minutes before police cordoned off at least four blocks. The protesters sat in the road for more than 30 minutes and then began to march toward traffic again.
One man sitting in a car said he supported the protesters, “but I have to get to court.”
A construction worker with tools in the passenger seat of his pickup said the protest was making him late for work.
He said immigration reform should not be done via executive action. “It needs to go through Congress,” he said.
Protesters with megaphones, meanwhile, stood on the sidewalks of the attorney general building and the Capitol, calling for Laxalt’s deportation and leading protest chants as a mariachi band played in the background.
Juan Espinoza, a protester from Las Vegas, said his family could be in danger if the lawsuit — currently in a Texas federal court — stands.
“We’re not asking for anything crazy,” he said. “We’re asking for working families to be treated with dignity.”
Democratic Sens. Kelvin Atkinson and Ruben Kihuen joined the protest. “The demonstration hopefully sends a message to the attorney general,” Atkinson said.
Trutanich said the attorney general would be willing to meet with PLAN activists to discuss the lawsuit. Laxalt met with 30 students from the College of Southern Nevada last week to talk about the same issue.
Source: Las Vegas Sun
