ARTESIA, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico condemned the U.S. government’s decision to continue detaining vulnerable mothers and children in a new, for-profit facility in Dilley, TX after their planned closure of the temporary detention facility in the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, NM. The facility in Artesia has held more than 500 mothers and children, mainly asylum seekers fleeing violence in Central America, since spring of this year.
“While we are glad New Mexico will soon be rid of the shameful practice of family detention, this is simply a lateral move,” said Vicki Gaubeca, director of ACLU-NM Regional Center for Border Rights. “Jailing innocent mothers and children is wrong whether we do it in New Mexico or Texas. Our policy of putting babies and toddlers behind barbed wire should shock the conscience of every American who believes in family, fairness, and basic human decency.”
The ACLU-NM Regional Center for Border Rights, Somos un Pueblo Unido, the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, along with residents from Southeast New Mexico, will hold a candlelight vigil in Artesia, NM, outside the FLETC detention center in protest of the ongoing practice of family detention in the United States.
WHAT: Candlelight vigil protesting the ongoing use of family detention in the United States
WHEN: Thursday, November 20 – 6 p.m.
WHERE: Outside the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, NM, 1300 W. Richey Ave., Artesia, NM
WHO: ACLU-NM Regional Center for Border Rights, Somos un Pueblo Unido, the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
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The ACLU of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights advocates at the local, state, regional, and national levels for policies that protect the rights of people along the border.