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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — More than 100 immigration and progressive activists swarmed Attorney General Adam Laxalt's office building Wednesday, demanding that he remove Nevada from a lawsuit challenging a presidential order that would spare about 5 million immigrants from deportation.
Progressive groups including the Las Vegas Culinary Union and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada rallied members both inside and outside the Republican attorney general's office, blocking traffic and shouting through bullhorns to "Deport Laxalt." The demonstration came a few weeks after activists visited his Las Vegas office to deliver a symbolic deportation order protesting the lawsuit.
"We will continue to do this until Adam Laxalt takes us off this lawsuit," said immigration activist Astrid Silva.
Protesters began by crowding into the lobby of Laxalt's office and shouting for him to meet with them. Laxalt's chief of staff, Nicholas Trutanich, said the attorney general was not there but would be willing to meet with a small group of demonstrators in the future.
Protesters then moved into a crosswalk and blocked traffic on a portion of Carson Street directly in front of the Capitol, while a mariachi band played and others chanted in English and Spanish. Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong shook hands with activists and joined officers from other agencies who diverted traffic around the protest.
Democratic Sens. Kelvin Atkinson and Ruben Kihuen joined the protesters and called for Laxalt to drop the lawsuit.
The protesters said they are upset with Laxalt's decision to add Nevada to a multistate lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's executive order aimed at halting deportations.
Laxalt hasn't backed down from the lawsuit, despite staunch opposition from progressive activists and apprehension from Gov. Brian Sandoval. The 36-year-old former Navy judge advocate general testified before a House Judiciary committee in February and called the president's executive order an unconstitutional federal overreach.
Activists say that if the lawsuit prevails, it would have an especially heavy toll in Nevada, which has the nation's highest rate of immigrants living in the country illegally.
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