A road sign showing the Rio Arriba county line with Lybrook elementary just beyond it.

Locked Out: When School Boards Exclude Native Representation

At a small school district in northwestern New Mexico, many Navajo parents cannot run for local school board or vote in the school district’s elections where their children go to school. 

Latest Press Release


Wrongful Death Case of Kesley Vial, 23-Year-Old Brazilian Asylum Seeker, Goes to Trial in New Mexico

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Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.

A photo of Rita Padilla-Gutiérrez standing in front of her sign that reads: "Trump, racist, rapist, not my president"

More Than a Yard Sign: Fighting for Free Speech in Tomé, New Mexico

When Rita Padilla-Gutiérrez posted anti-Trump signs in her yard, Valencia County threatened her with criminal prosecution at the urging of a pro-Trump county commissioner.

By

Dark blue collage image of GuJuan, featuring a recent photo of him along with a childhood picture in various color filters

Beyond the Concrete Box: Gujuan Fusilier’s Story

This blog is the third of a series based on interviews with three men currently held in the Penitentiary of New Mexico who are part of a class action lawsuit challenging the inhumane and unconstitutional conditions of New Mexico’s long-term solitary confinement unit.

By Lalita Moskowitz

Stylized image of plantiffs in front of a dark green background, a silhouette of a man sitting down on pavement looking distressed is centered in the photo stylized in green.

Beyond the Concrete Box: Human Stories from Solitary

This blog is the first of a series based on interviews with Mah-konce Hudson, GuJuan Fusilier, and O'Shay Toney, who are currently held in the Penitentiary of New Mexico.

By Lalita Moskowitz

You Have the Right to Record Law Enforcement Officers — Including at the Border

In a landmark settlement, the federal government was forced to concede that there is no border exception to this First Amendment right.

By ACLU National

A flag sits just north of a new section of the US-Mexico border structure

Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy is at the Supreme Court. Here’s What's at Stake.

The Biden administration should be empowered to reject Trump-era policies and adopt those it believes are in the public interest.

By ACLU National

A migrant leans on a fence of the Gateway International Bridge that connects downtown Matamoros, Mexico with Brownsville, Texas.

We Deserve Better Than Outdated Posturing About Crime

Legislators fail to engage evidence-based solutions that would make the state safer for everyone.

By Barron Jones, Denali Wilson

New Mexico Roundhouse

Border Patrol Interior Checkpoints Are a Cruel and Pointless Burden on Borderland Residents

New Mexico’s legalization of cannabis for recreational adult use has reminded all borderland residents of a fact our Latinx, Indigenous and Black neighbors have known for decades: Border Patrol checkpoints are cruel, pointless and serve to harass residents going about their lives.

By Nia Rucker

Border Patrol Interior Checkpoint

10 Books Politicians Don’t Want You to Read

Read about some of the books that have most recently been banned or challenged for removal across public schools and libraries in our ‘ACLU Banned Book Club Reading List’.

By ACLU National

An ACLU bookmark sticking out of a book.

Five Things to Know About the Title 42 Immigrant Expulsion Policy

Since March 2020, the government has misused the order to kick out people seeking asylum more than 1.7 million times.

By Leonardo Castañeda, Katie Hoeppner

Billboard saying "It's past time to end the Trump-era policies at the border"

The War on Drugs Failed — Lawmakers Must Meet the Fentanyl Crisis With New Solutions

We must not return to the failed, punitive policies that do not improve public safety or save lives.

By ACLU National

A photo of prison bars.

If You Care About Freedom, You Should Be Asking Why We Don’t Fund Our Public Defender Systems

Four out of five criminal defendants can’t afford a lawyer, but in many places, the system promised to them by our state and federal constitutions is chronically in crisis.

By ACLU National

A statue of Lady Justice with a stack of books in the background.

Three Key Problems with the Government’s Use of a Flawed Facial Recognition Service

Forcing people to use private ID-verification to access tax accounts or other government services raises serious privacy and equity issues.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington.