Donald Trump’s recent move to label Las Vegas as a "sanctuary jurisdiction" is not only politically calculated—it’s historically dishonest and economically reckless. For decades, Las Vegas has not just been a stage for Trump’s ventures—it’s been a pillar of his wealth and campaign war chest.
Las Vegas is powered by immigrants. According to the Pew Research Center, Nevada has the highest proportion of undocumented workers in the U.S., representing over 7.1% of the total labor force. In Clark County, home to Las Vegas, nearly half of all hospitality workers are Latino, with many being first- or second-generation immigrants.
These same communities laid the foundation—literally and financially—of Trump’s legacy. The Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, opened in 2008, was constructed by laborers from immigrant backgrounds. Today, unions like Culinary Workers Local 226, composed largely of immigrants, continue to negotiate the very contracts that keep the gaming industry—and Trump’s former interests—operational. And then there’s the money. In the 2020 election, Trump raised more than $6.3 million from Nevada, much of it from casino-linked donors. Chief among them: the late Sheldon Adelson, billionaire owner of Las Vegas Sands. Adelson was Trump’s largest donor, funneling over $75 million into super PACs that carried Trump’s re-election efforts. His empire, built on casino wealth, remains deeply tied to immigrant labor and Las Vegas’s economic heartbeat.
To vilify Las Vegas now—during an election year—as a supposed haven for undocumented migrants is more than political theatre. It’s economic betrayal. It jeopardizes the gaming sector’s fragile recovery, it disrespects the workforce that powers the Strip, and it ignores the legacy of Adelson, whose fortune and influence were rooted in this very city.
In Trump’s effort to reclaim the presidency, he seems willing to discard the hands that built his towers and funded his campaigns. Las Vegas deserves better than political scapegoating—it deserves recognition for the immigrant labor that built both fortunes and futures.
