Border Rights

New Mexico is in the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region, a culturally and economically vibrant area that more than 15 million Americans call home.

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New Mexico is in the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region, a culturally and economically vibrant area that more than 15 million Americans call home. Unfortunately, in recent decades the federal government has increasingly militarized the border region, saturating our border communities with tens of thousands of federal agents who are mandated to operate up to 100 miles from the border. Lacking proper oversight and accountability, these border agents routinely violate the rights of the people living in the border region.

The ACLU of New Mexico advocates locally, regionally, and nationally to rein in the militarization of our border communities and fights to hold federal agencies accountable. Additionally, working in cooperation with our national office and ACLU affiliates along the border, our participation in the Border Humanity Project seeks to advocate for rebuilding asylum and demanding an end to indiscriminate immigration detention and abuses at the border. Our team consists of advocates, litigators, community leaders, and experts who are deeply engaged in working towards humane reforms along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.

We can take action to welcome people seeking asylum with dignity and respect and stop the horrors of abuse in immigration detention. We can fight for transparency, accountability, and humane treatment of people.

Stay informed about our latest work in Border and Immigrants' Rights.

The Latest

News & Commentary
Security Check at the Airport

Can Border Agents Search Your Electronic Devices? It’s Complicated.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about when border agents can legally conduct searches of travelers’ electronic devices at international airports and other ports of entry. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple.
News & Commentary
Stylized image of Leonel and his family

Behind Detention Walls: Leonel’s Story

By Rebecca Sheff, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU of New Mexico & Zoe Bowman, Supervising Attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center 
Press Release
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Urgent Human Rights Complaint Submitted After ICE “Disappears” 48 New Mexico Residents

A coalition of immigrants' rights advocates announced the submission of a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security challenging the "disappearance" of 48 New Mexico residents.
News & Commentary
Stylized image of Yofer's personal family pictures

Behind Detention Walls: Yofer's Story

Yofer Fernando Orozco-Herrera, from Barinas, Venezuela, dreamed of a career in public service. Instead, he was forced to flee his homeland in search of safety and opportunity.