Congressman Steven Horsford Statement on Activation of Nevada National Guard

Las Vegas, Nev. -- Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) released the below statement on the activation of the Nevada National Guard in Southern Nevada:

"As our community mourns the loss of Black lives – including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor – Nevadans must feel empowered to peacefully voice their opinions in the march toward progress and justice. I support the Governor in his activating of the Nevada National Guard, who have already been serving our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, these Nevadans are tasked with ensuring our state's protestors are kept safe during their nonviolent demonstrations and that our community does not endure any more violence during an already trying time."

According to the Governor's office, the Nevada National Guard units will not be on the front lines, making arrests or doing crowd control. Their mission is to act as support personnel and they will focus on protecting public and private property, preserving public safety, and allowing individuals to exercise their rights to peacefully demonstrate.

The Nevada National Guard helps in our state's times of need – from responding to wildfires, to currently filling a critical need in our statewide response to the COVID-19 public health crisis by administering, collecting, and processing COVID-19 tests at the significant risk of their own personal health.