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Nevada Latinos disappointed, not surprised, over judicial pause for ‘parole in place’ – The Nevada Independent

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Nevada Latinos disappointed, not surprised, over judicial pause for ‘parole in place’ – The Nevada Independent


A Texas judge’s decision to temporarily block a Biden administration program that offered a lifeline to legal residency for hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses didn’t exactly come as a surprise to Latino advocates in Nevada.

Instead, many of the attendees at an event hosted by the immigrant advocacy group Make the Road Nevada in Las Vegas last week said the ruling blocking the administration’s “parole in place” program was just the latest evidence that lasting immigration policy change would need to come from Congress and not executive action.

“The best way to get immigration reform done is through Congress,” said former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, who spoke at the event. “We have another opportunity in November for people to make their voices heard and let politicians know that immigration reform is important to them and to keep pushing them once they’re in office.”

Parole in place grants deportation protections for undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens and a potential pathway to citizenship. 

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To qualify, applicants must have been married to a U.S. citizen prior to June 17, when the program was first announced. They must also not have a disqualifying criminal history (including all felonies and a number of other crimes, such as domestic violence and most drug offenses) and be able to prove they have lived continuously in the United States for at least 10 years. The federal government estimates that these noncitizens have resided in the U.S. for 23 years on average.

Parole in place promised to provide a lifeline for some members of Nevada’s undocumented community. According to an estimate by pro-immigration group FWD.us, 10,000 undocumented spouses in Nevada would be eligible for the program.

The federal judge’s ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by 16 Republican-led states challenging the Biden administration regarding the constitutionality of the program, charging that it bypassed Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for partisan purposes. 

The judge called the claims “substantial” and ordered a 14-day pause on the program approving new applications, though experts believe the pause could be extended. Immigrant families have already filed a countersuit. 

Erica Marquez, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and organizer with Make the Road Nevada, called the executive order creating the program “a breath of fresh air.” While the court-ordered pause was disappointing, she is encouraging people to continue to apply and to seek different pathways toward legal residency.

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“I feel like the executive order could definitely be beneficial,” she said. “I feel like it’s kind of like  a Lego system. You just have to have the right pieces to put them in the right place.”  

Part of the problem is that any immigration policy changes being done through executive actions are much easier to block, Castro said in an interview with The Nevada Independent. As Congress has become increasingly unwilling to take up immigration bills, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have come to rely on executive actions that can be quickly blocked by a court or overturned by the next administration. 

Immigration is again one of the top issues for voters this election. Trump has pledged to deport millions of people not legally in the country, while his campaign has made Vice President Kamala Harris’ role in investigating border crossings a focal point of his attacks by labeling her as the administration’s “border czar” and blaming her for a surge in border crossings. 

Harris, who has pushed to pass a U.S. Senate bill that would stop processing asylum claims if migrant encounters reached a certain threshold, said she’ll take a “pragmatic” approach on immigration if elected. 

A recent poll from the media firm Entravision shows 44 percent of Nevada Latinos (a plurality) believe that Trump would “bring safety to our border and solve the immigration crisis.”

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Yet despite recent setbacks, Marquez remains hopeful that positive immigration reform will come for undocumented people. 

“We’re not gonna quit. We’re not gonna go anywhere. Nothing is going to change anytime soon for us to go ahead and quit and put our hands down,” she said. 



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HopeLink of Southern Nevada hosts Pickleball Fundraiser ‘Dink for HopeLink’

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HopeLink of Southern Nevada hosts Pickleball Fundraiser ‘Dink for HopeLink’


HopeLink of Southern Nevada is hosting its first-ever “Dink for HopeLink” Pickleball Tournament. This is the organization’s main fundraiser of the year Join them for some friendly competition while helping raise money to PREVENT homelessness in Southern Nevada.

HopeLink of Southern Nevada is a non-profit family resource center providing much needed assistance to PREVENT families, individuals and vulnerable seniors from facing homelessness.

‘Dink for HopeLink’ is happening at CHICKEN N’ PICKLE June 28th, 2026 from 1:30pm – 5pm.

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Dr. Brian Evans Selected as Nevada County’s Health Officer

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Dr. Brian Evans Selected as Nevada County’s Health Officer


Nevada County is pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Evans has been selected to serve as Nevada County’s next Public Health Officer.

 “Dr. Evans brings a long history of leadership in healthcare in Nevada County to the Health Officer position,” said Public Health Director Toby Guevin. “His expertise and knowledge of local health needs and providers across the county will be invaluable as we work to strengthen the health of our community. I also want to thank Dr. Cooke for her dedicated service as Health Officer for the past four years, guiding us through numerous challenges coming out of COVID 19.”

Dr. Evans was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which drew from a pool of highly qualified candidates nationwide. His start date is planned for July 1, 2026, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors at their June 16 meeting.

“I’m honored to step into the role of Public Health Officer for Nevada County,” said Dr. Evans. “This is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships across the community, focusing on prevention, preparedness, and improving health outcomes. I look forward to supporting a science based public health team that is responsive, transparent, and grounded in the needs of our residents.”

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Dr. Brian Evans

Dr. Evans is a physician with more than two decades of clinical and leadership experience. Since 2022, he has served as Chief Medical Officer for Tahoe Forest Health, overseeing clinical quality, patient safety, emergency preparedness, communicable disease response, and regulatory compliance across two critical access hospitals and a broad network of services. He has served as both CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, and served as CEO at Mercy Folsom and Chief Medical Officer at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.

A board-certified emergency physician, Dr. Evans practiced for 15 years in Grass Valley after completing residency at UC Davis. He holds an MD from UCLA, an MBA from CSU Sacramento, and a BS in Biology from UC Davis. Dr. Evans lives in Nevada County with his wife, Jennifer, and has two adult daughters.

California law requires each county to appoint a licensed physician as Health Officer. The Health Officer is responsible for carrying out provisions of the State Health and Safety Code and serves as the physician of record for all Public Health clinical services. The Health Officer reports to the Public Health Director.





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Nevada DMV Enforcement cracks down on stolen luxury cars sold openly on social media

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Nevada DMV Enforcement cracks down on stolen luxury cars sold openly on social media


LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division is cracking down on stolen luxury cars being openly sold on social media, with criminals listing them using code words and asking as little as a tenth of the normal price.

In one case, a 2021 Hellcat TRX was advertised for $12,000. The vehicle normally sells for at least $100,000.

In an ad for the high-end truck on Facebook, the first word of the description said “lien.”

“It’s pretty blatant. I mean, it’s like advertising drugs for sale online on a public website,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.

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Decker said the word is code for stolen.

“You won’t be able to register it or title it in your name… therefore the discounted price,” Decker said.

Investigation leads to recovery

Decker’s team tracked down the truck in the city of Las Vegas.

“We found the vehicle had been stolen locally and then wrapped to hide the color and mask the vehicle,” Decker said.

There were other signs the vehicle was stolen. The person pulled out the module from under the dash and started it by hot wire, touching the wires together. The VIN was not centered and was not a stamped manufactured VIN. The VIN also had 16 digits instead of the standard 17. A fake temporary tag was also used.

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The team got a warrant to arrest the seller, though they say he fled the state.

“That subject had his first court appearance and had an attorney appear on his behalf. We know he operated between a couple different states. He had previous charges in a couple different states,” Decker said.

Decker said these openly stolen cars advertised for sale are known as striker vehicles.

“When you’re selling a striker vehicle to someone who knows it’s stolen, you really don’t have to make much effort to hide the fact that it’s stolen because that’s kind of assumed in the transaction,” Decker said.

There are also websites that will advertise and sell striker vehicles. According to Decker, the negotiation takes place on offshore encrypted websites that aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

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If you ever have doubts about a vehicle you want to buy, have the seller meet you at the DMV’s VIN inspection station.

“We’d be happy to do that. It’s free. There’s generally no waiting. And if the vehicle comes from out of state, it’s going to require a VIN inspection at DMV anyway,” Decker said.

Decker said his team is constantly on social media looking for stolen vehicles for sale, especially high-end vehicles. He said the ongoing problem with fake tags contributes to this problem. FOX5 has previously reported on that problem

Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.



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