MEDIA CONTACT: Micah McCoy (505) 266-5915 x1003 or mmccoy@aclu-nm.org
“The news that Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office has been secretly cooperating with federal agents is deeply troubling,” said Executive Director of the ACLU of New Mexico Peter Simonson. “We took Sheriff Vigil at his word when he said enforcing immigration laws was not his department’s responsibility. In deceiving the public and in handing over hundreds of people who didn’t commit any state crimes to Customs and Border Protection, Sheriff Vigil betrayed his community’s trust. This is exactly the kind of behavior that prevents immigrants from reporting crimes and making our communities safer. It’s also the kind of behavior that leads to civil rights abuses, which is why the ACLU will do everything in its power to prevent involvement by local law enforcement in federal immigration law.”
