ICE in the Desert: How Trump's Mass Deportations Cripple Las Vegas
The city of immigrants faces a bleak 2025 as deportations and fear drive away the workers and tourists who fuel its economy.
ANALYSIS: It’s a cruel irony that Las Vegas—the fantasyland built by immigrants, fed by immigrants, and cleaned by immigrants—is now struggling to keep its lights on in a country doing everything it can to chase those very people out.
Tourism in Las Vegas, once the silver bullet of Nevada’s economy, is beginning to slow just as President Donald Trump returns to power with a vengeance. In a city that pulled in over $55 billion in visitor spending last year, the vibes are now off—and the numbers back it up. International travel is dropping.
Hotel occupancy is slipping. Gaming revenue is falling. And according to early figures, 2025 is on track to become the first post-pandemic year where Las Vegas’ visitor economy contracts instead of grows.
But this isn’t just a story about tariffs and trade wars (although Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff drama has also wreaked havoc). It’s about who is no longer welcome—and how that message is being heard loud and clear far beyond the border.