In addition to less overall security for Vegas workers, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns have created unprecedented stress levels in Las Vegas. As a result, many are concerned about their status and how it would affect the entire tourism-dependent industry. Housekeeper Norma Torres and bartender Nery Martinez represent a growing number of employees who fear that these policies may not only affect their livelihoods but their families and communities.
Norma Torres, University of California, Davis, home under DACA. Lately, she fears that the US government’s actions on immigration may put her status at risk. She has two daughters who are U.S. citizens. The prospect of being away from them terrifies her. Before I had DACA, I was in fear for my life. Freedom to be myself I’ve had the privilege of living free since getting DACA. Now, under this administration, that freedom is threatened, and I’m scared all over again, she explained.
Nery Martinez, who has lived in the U.S. for decades under Salvadoran TPS. He places similar concerns over what might happen to his own situation. Now he’s mad that the Trump administration’s attempt to take away TPS will upend his life. Such a change would be a boon to thousands of families, including his own. “That would be devastating, not only for me but for thousands of families,” Martinez said.
Recent news stories have documented how Trump administration officials have ordered ICE agents to make at least 3,000 arrests per day. This step is deeply rooted in a newly re-energized and audacious anti-immigration playbook. Both Torres and Martinez, like thousands of others, are experiencing the consequences of this increased enforcement on a daily basis.
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226—which includes 99,000 active and retired members—represents about 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno. Surprisingly, nearly 45% of its members are immigrants themselves. Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said he noticed increasing panic over the months. They fear for their own immigration status and the impact on their jobs and communities. “If you tell the rest of the world you’re not welcome, they are going to listen,” he commented. “Our members are telling us that they’re quite nervous, and that’s why they’re calling it a Trump slump.”
The impact of the current climate is real, and it’s starting to be felt heavily on Las Vegas tourism. In June 2025, visitation was down 11.3% over the same month the year before. This drop was in large measure driven by fear around immigration policy directing great international travel detours. Canadian tourists—Nevada’s largest group of international visitors—are busily looking for other places. HER REASONS Their reasoning is based on fears from recent policies.
Immigrants contribute approximately $20.2 billion annually to Nevada’s economy and make up nearly 24% of the state’s workforce. Their effect is most clearly seen in leisure and hospitality jobs. As it fights for workers’ rights, the Culinary Union keeps diversity at the center of its membership, representing workers from 178 different countries that speak 40 different languages.
Martinez loves his job in Las Vegas, where he enjoys working alongside colleagues from various backgrounds and interacting with tourists from around the globe. The question mark over his immigration status hangs heavy. “We are working people with families who love this country. Taking away TPS would be tearing away my life,” he lamented.
Torres shares Martinez’s concern over the personal cost of these policies. In this poem she wrestles with the very real threat of being pulled over by police or simply harassed while going about her day. “I can be driving on the street, they can pull me over. I can be separated from my daughters… just thinking about that makes me afraid,” she shared.
The Culinary Union is doing the most it can to keep its most vulnerable members afloat and get them through this crisis. Pappageorge underlined the union’s achievements in mutually gained contracts that protect workers with expired or rescinded immigration status. “The idea that you’re bringing in Marines and arresting dishwashers or landscapers… is just crazy,” he stated, calling the situation chaotic.