Comments made by Reno City Councilmember Devon Reese during a public forum on January 22 have drawn sharp criticism from various groups and reignited the debate over local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. A short video clip of his remarks is circulating widely on social media.
In the video, Reese, a Democrat representing Ward 5 and a declared candidate for Reno mayor in 2026, responds to a question about the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We should treat it as we would a kidnapping,” Reese says in the video. “So that means we’ve got to investigate, we’ve got to prosecute, we’ve got to use the full force of the law.”
The remarks quickly drew backlash from the Washoe County Republican Party, which accused Reese of threatening to prosecute federal agents and undermining lawful immigration enforcement. In posts online, the party characterized the comments as an “assault on ICE” and framed them as a call to treat ICE agents as criminals for carrying out their duties.
“Reese’s rhetoric undermines national security and trivializes actual kidnapping crimes. His own ethics complaints (dismissed or not) reveal a pattern of prioritizing performative politics over accountability,” the Washoe County Republican Party stated in a social media post.
The clip is getting treated as evidence that Reese intends to prosecute ICE agents en masse and acknowledges that Reno has a significant population of undocumented immigrants. Reese has not shared additional commentary online to clarify his position.
Reno, like much of Washoe County, has historically cooperated with ICE in cases involving serious crimes, while limiting involvement in civil immigration enforcement. City officials have previously stated that local law enforcement’s primary role is public safety, not federal immigration policing.
Major Reno-area news outlets have not reported on Reese’s comments.
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