OUR IMPACT
Our Victories
At Make the Road Nevada, we believe in the power of community to drive change—and our victories prove it. From helping undocumented survivors of the Las Vegas shooting access U visas in 2017, to legalizing street vending in 2023, our members have shaped policy and protected dignity at every turn. We've worked with partners to raised the minimum wage, expanded professional licensing to immigrants, and delivered vital relief during COVID-19. Through legislative wins, mutual aid, voter mobilization, and cultural empowerment, we’ve built lasting change across Nevada—because when we organize, we win.
2017 – Standing with Survivors:
Make the Road Nevada was born in the shadow of tragedy. In October 2017, Las Vegas became the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history—the Route 91 Harvest Festival massacre. Amid the grief and chaos, undocumented victims were left to navigate trauma, medical bills, and legal uncertainty with no safety net. In that moment, it became painfully clear that Nevada needed an organization rooted in the community—one that could organize, advocate, and fight for dignity, regardless of immigration status.
That urgency gave rise to Make the Road Nevada. From the very beginning, we stood with the most vulnerable. We supported undocumented survivors of the shooting by helping them apply for U visas, ensuring they could access protection and begin healing without fear of deportation. After tireless advocacy and direct meetings with our members, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office quadrupled its U-Visa staff and approved over 67 applications—an extraordinary outcome that showed what community power can achieve when institutions are held accountable.
Our work began in response to crisis, but it has always been about more than just one moment. It’s about building permanent infrastructure that protects and uplifts working-class, immigrant, and Latine Nevadans—because our safety, our dignity, and our futures are non-negotiable.
2019 – First-Time Participating in a Legislative Session:
Make the Road Nevada participated in its first Legislative Session, mobilizing its membership on issues they cared about, including workers' rights, housing justice, healthcare, and more. In coalition with our partners Time to Care Nevada, the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, Let Nevadans Vote, and Nevadans Count, we achieved policies that improved the lives of immigrants and hardworking families in our state, including:
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SB312 – Paid Sick Days: Secured earned paid sick leave for Nevada workers
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AB456 – Minimum Wage Increase: Set a path to raise the minimum wage to $12 by 2024.
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AB 275 – Occupational Licensing: Updated state law to allow Nevadans to become licensed in 50+ professions regardless of legal status
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SB396 – Drivers’ License Parity: Ensured that Nevadans moving from territories and districts, including Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands, are allowed to transfer state IDs with the same ease and cost of those moving from US States.
2020 – Defending Communities in Crisis:
COVID-19 Community Relief Fund: Make the Road Nevada distributed over $144,000, providing financial assistance to 481 immigrant households that’d been excluded from federal financial assistance.
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Make the Road Nevada reached out to more than 34,000 Nevadans to conduct wellness checks and connect individuals with resources.
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Make the Road Nevada launched a digital support program in partnership with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada to help individuals understand how to file their personal unemployment claims.
DACA: In the face of ongoing uncertainty for immigrant youth, Make the Road Nevada launched a mutual aid initiative to directly support DACA recipients—many of whom were excluded from federal aid and faced mounting barriers to education and legal protection. Through grassroots fundraising and community solidarity, we raised over $30,500 in mutual aid funds, allowing us to provide 61 scholarships to cover the costly DACA renewal fees. Each scholarship represented more than just financial relief—it was a message to our undocumented youth that they are seen, supported, and essential to the fabric of Nevada.
Census: During the 2020 Census, Make the Road Nevada mobilized our members to ensure Latine and immigrant families were counted and informed. We hosted virtual events, such as "Censo y Cena", which offered dinner and support to families completing the census. We also directly assisted hundreds of households through honest, culturally grounded conversations to ease their fears. We also partnered with La Campesina for a Spanish-language PSA, collaborated with Univision on an educational video, and created our own bilingual how-to guide to walk people through the process step by step.
2021 – 81st Legislative Session:
At Make the Road Nevada, we believe that real change begins when everyday people step into positions of power and push for policies that reflect the needs and dignity of our communities. Our work is grounded in the belief that leadership should come from those directly impacted by the challenges we seek to address—people rooted in the neighborhoods they serve, who bring lived experience and an unshakable commitment to justice. From elevating community voices to shaping bold, people-first policy, our mission has always been to ensure that those at the margins are not only heard, but leading the way forward.
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Successfully appointed Make the Road Nevada Member Fabian Doñate to the Nevada State Senate, becoming the youngest State Senator in Nevada history.
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SB209 - Paid COVID-19 Vaccination Sick Time: required employers to provide their employees with paid time to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.
2022 – NV Midterms
During the 2022 midterm elections, Make the Road Nevada led one of the most aggressive and community-rooted civic engagement efforts in the state. At a time when our communities faced targeted disinformation, voter suppression, and rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, we mobilized with clarity and purpose: to ensure that Latine, immigrant, working-class, and young voters had the tools, information, and confidence to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
Our team knocked on 28,400 doors, made over 160,000 phone calls, and sent more than 210,000 text messages—reaching voters in every corner of our communities with messages about what was at stake. But we didn’t stop there. We trained 42 volunteers to serve as election protection monitors, safeguarding the integrity of our voting process and making sure every eligible voter could cast their ballot without intimidation or obstruction.
We also invested deeply in relational organizing, empowering 169 members to mobilize their own networks—families, friends, neighbors—to get out the vote. Through this strategy, we didn’t just meet our turnout goals—we surpassed them. And in doing so, we built long-term leadership and civic power that will carry us far beyond any one election.
At Make the Road Nevada, elections are not just about candidates. They’re about building political power in communities that have too often been ignored—and making it clear that we will not be silenced, sidelined, or taken for granted.
2023 – 82nd Legislative Session:
At Make the Road Nevada, our legislative work is grounded in one core belief: that dignity and opportunity should never depend on your zip code, immigration status, or income level. During this past legislative session, we fought for policies that reflect the realities and needs of working-class, immigrant, and Latine families across our state. From protecting personal data to defending cultural expression, expanding access to healthcare and education, and decriminalizing survival economies—our advocacy was bold, unapologetic, and rooted in community.
These victories didn’t happen in a vacuum. They were the result of tireless organizing, member-led testimonies, and years of grassroots power-building. Together, we pushed for laws that challenge systemic inequality and open doors for those too often shut out. What follows are just a few of the key policies we fought for—and won.
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SB92 – Street Vendor Decriminalization: Decriminalized street vending and supported low-income entrepreneurs by creating a pathway to licensing.
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SB419 - Nevada Hope Act: Expanded Medicaid to provide care for pregnant people and children, successfully passed with bipartisan support before being vetoed by the Governor.
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AB407 – Data Privacy: Protected communities from surveillance and immigration targeting by prohibiting the release of personal information and records of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
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AB73 – Graduation Expression: Allowed cultural and religious symbols at graduations.
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AB226 – In-State Tuition Equity: Expanded access to affordable higher education for DACA recipients.
2024 - Voter Information
In the 2024 Nevada General Election, Make the Road Nevada led one of the most ambitious community mobilization efforts in our organization’s history—because we knew what was on the line. With our rights, our families, and our future at stake, we activated thousands of Nevadans to ensure our voices were not just heard, but impossible to ignore. Our team knocked on 111,581 doors, made over 935,000 phone calls, and sent more than 203,000 text messages—engaging voters face-to-face, on the phone, and in their inboxes. On top of that, we reached over 2.5 million people through social media, flooding timelines with trusted, community-based information to combat disinformation and boost civic engagement.
We focused on the voters who are too often overlooked—immigrant families, first-time voters, young people, and working-class Nevadans—because they are the heartbeat of our state. We invested in culturally relevant, bilingual outreach led by people from the very neighborhoods we serve. And we didn't just talk about the issues—we built real relationships, held space for our community’s concerns, and made sure every eligible voter had the tools and confidence to cast their ballot.
This was more than just a turnout operation—it was a movement rooted in dignity, belonging, and the belief that democracy only works when all of us have a seat at the table.
