Organizations call for full transparency and passage of the Immigrant Safety Act
ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Immigrant Legal Center (NMILC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico condemned a sanitized publicity stunt masquerading as a legislative tour earlier today at the Otero County Processing Center, which detains individuals in federal immigration custody. The organizations called for full transparency and accountability for all immigration detention facilities operating in New Mexico.
According to Source NM, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was uncooperative and introduced obstacles that made a committee-led tour impossible to execute. The tour that did take place was arranged by Sen. Crystal Brantley of Elephant Butte, the committee's ranking Republican, who leveraged her connections with the Trump administration to gain access.
“Even in this carefully curated and sanitized tour, I witnessed the majority of lives that fill these facilities: noncriminal detainees in despair, silent, and confined to their beds. I was disturbed by the sense of pride some ICE officials seemed to demonstrate when discussing this administration’s strategy for disregarding due process and constitutional protections," said Representative Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe). "I remain committed to banning state and local governments from contracting for immigration detention in New Mexico when they take away the rights of everyday people simply trying to better their lives in our country.”
"Our attorneys, who provide legal services and support to people in detention centers on a weekly basis, have documented human rights violations and unacceptable conditions in all three of New Mexico’s detention centers for years,” said Jessica Martinez, director of policy and coalition building at NMILC. “This wasn't oversight—this was theater. The Trump administration is under fire for immigration enforcement abuses. When it determines exactly what people can see in detention centers, that's not transparency—that's a photo opportunity designed to whitewash documented problems. We cannot allow New Mexico to be used as a laboratory for mistreatment."
The stage-managed tour comes as the Trump administration ramps up the most aggressive immigration crackdown in recent history, with masked agents conducting sweeping raids nationwide and ICE's budget hitting record levels. Meanwhile, a massive 5,000-person tent facility is opening at Fort Bliss military base, which spans El Paso, Texas, and Doña Ana and Otero counties in New Mexico.
Since 2022, at least three people have died in custody at detention centers in New Mexico. These facilities have documented histories of human rights violations, medical neglect, and substandard conditions—none of which would be fully apparent during a pre-scheduled, sanitized tour designed for public consumption.
“We are deeply concerned to hear reports of what appears to be a sanitized tour, when our organizations, partners, and lawmakers have documented serious conditions and violations at these facilities," said Lena Weber, policy director at the ACLU of New Mexico. “The Otero detention center—and all immigration detention centers—are inherently dangerous. Regardless of what legislators who participated in the tour observed, mountains of evidence demonstrate how unsafe Otero and other detention facilities truly are. No carefully choreographed visit can erase this documented record of harm.”
The organizations emphasized the urgent need for the New Mexico Legislature to pass the Immigrant Safety Act during an upcoming legislative special session, or the 2026 legislative session if a special session does not take place. The bill would end the state's involvement in a detention system that shields private contractors from accountability and causes serious human rights violations. The legislation passed the House but narrowly failed to advance out of the Senate during the last legislative session.
