Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam confirmed to county officials that at least 45 people had been detained during ICE operations in Reno and Carson City last week.
In a release on Wednesday ICE confirmed that number to be 52.
Washoe County says those arrested are being detained on "ICE Holds"
The Nevada Immigration Coalition says ICE is allegedly violating due process rights by not sharing any information as to why people are being arrested. And now protesters are demanding answers from Governor Joe Lombardo and other local authorities.
"Many of these detentions are happening without legal warrants during the detention process," said Veronica Frenkel, member of Indivisible Northern Nevada. "When someone is detained without a warrant that is an unlawful detention. These deportation processes are so rushed that people aren't getting the opportunity to speak to an attorney before they are transferred elsewhere."
According to a letter to commissioners shared by the county, these operations are being led by federal agencies.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office says they are not assisting with the operations.
Sheriff Balaam has previously told us immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal agencies, and they only assist when necessary to address public safety concerns.
Protesters are saying these arrests are not only violating rights, but also potentially separating and impacting families.
"We have United States citizens, children, who have been sent outside of the country because this administration says their mother cannot be here," says a protester.
Washoe County says they have not heard about any family separations, but will continue to monitor whether children are in need of services.
Another protester, Farrell Vaughn, says this isn't just an issue for undocumented people, but for everyone, "We have judges being arrested, mayors being arrested, American citizens being deported. They are not being given access to attorneys which is a violation of the law."
Allen, a protester, says, "I don't know what this will do, but I hope it does something to where somebody out there will say 'you know what? I don't like the way this is going, we need to change this'."
We did reach out to our local ICE office and law enforcement agencies for a response regarding these arrests but have not heard back yet.
