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New Mexico Must Keep Its Promise on Civil Rights

Five years ago, New Mexico made a promise. When our state passed the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, we declared that the rights guaranteed by the New Mexico Constitution meant something.

Latest Press Release


Billboards Celebrate NM Civil Rights Act Fifth Anniversary

To commemorate the five-year anniversary of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act (NMCRA), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico has placed five billboards praising the landmark law across Albuquerque.
A billboard that says "The NM Civil Rights Act turns five. Justice never gets old" with a "Welcome to New Mexico" sign on it.

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


A graphic showing hot air ballons, a person holding their arms out towards a sunrise, and a sunset with painted clouds behind a silhouetted road sign.

The Case for Investing in New Mexico's Youth

The ACLU of New Mexico, along with partners, is prioritizing holistic solutions in juvenile justice — because we know these are the approaches that are safest and most effective for our communities.
Black-and-white photo of an LGBTQ rights picket on a tree-lined sidewalk beside a tall iron fence (near the White House). Protesters—mostly in suits and dresses—carry hand-lettered signs including “FIFTEEN MILLION U.S. HOMOSEXUALS PROTEST FEDERAL TREATMENT,” “FIRST-CLASS CITIZENSHIP FOR HOMOSEXUALS,” and “SEXUAL PREFERENCE IS IRRELEVANT TO EMPLOYMENT.” A uniformed police officer stands with hands on hips facing the group, while an ABC TV reporter in a suit holds a microphone at the curb; pedestrians walk past in the background.

Trump Administration Playbook Takes Tactics from Lavender Scare of the Cold War

A McCarthy-era effort to report LGBTQ people to the government, classify queerness as a mental disorder, and overall push queer people from public life is taking similar shape today.
Various photos representing this years legislative session including the statue of liberty, a family, and protesters.

Rising to the Moment: A Breakthrough 30‑Day Session for Civil Liberties

This year's legislative session saw ACLU of New Mexico staff, community partners, advocates, and legislative champions showed up ready to work, and ready to lead with courage.


Brutality in the Borderlands

A New Mexico man seeks justice after a Customs and Border Protection officer assaults him

By Davida Gallegos

Brutality in the borderlands

Lessons Learned: COVID-19 and Incarceration in New Mexico

It’s been one year and eight months since, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACLU of New Mexico first sounded the alarm of an impending humanitarian crisis for incarcerated people in the state.

By Katie Hoeppner, Lalita Moskowitz

Lessons Learned: COVID-19 and Incarceration in New Mexico. Picture of Coronavirus.

Strengthening and Defending Abortion Rights in New Mexico and Around the Country

For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade has guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States. Now that right stands at the brink of collapse. I won’t mince words. I write with both a heaviness in my heart and a measure of hope that New Mexico can rise to the challenges before us.

By Peter Simonson

Stop the bans protest

Failed Inspections, Understaffing, and Big Profits

How private immigrant detention centers in New Mexico benefited during the pandemic.

By Leonardo Castañeda

Failed inspections, big profits

Shannon wants a second chance for her brother

Shannon’s brother was sentenced to 30 years to life when he was just 16 years old for his involvement in the killing of their grandparents. For many years, Shannon refused to speak to her brother or his former friends, but now she is an advocate for second chances. Shannon wants to see legislation passed in New Mexico to give people sentenced as children who have grown and changed a chance to petition for early release.

Shannon Brown Fleeson

Shane got a second chance after 40 years in prison

When Shane was just 16 years old, a judge sentenced him to 30 years to life in prison. Like most people, Shane grew and changed as he became an adult.

Shane Lasiter

Q&A: What you need to know about MPP, the Trump-era migrant policy re-initiated by Biden

First rolled out by the Trump Administration, the so-called 'Remain in Mexico' policy for asylum seekers was re-initiated by President Joe Biden in December.

El Paso, Texas border wall between USA and Mexico running thru the desert.

Livestreaming Police is a Critical First Amendment Right

It is critical that the courts maintain robust First Amendment protections for people to record, share, and stream police interactions. Our ability to speak about police abuses depends on it.

By ACLU National

Man recording a line of police people

ICE Makes It Impossible for Immigrants in Detention to Contact Lawyers

Immigration detention is inhumane, but so long as people are detained, ICE must ensure that detention facilities provide immigrants with timely access to counsel.

By ACLU National

Phone next to window used by visitors to prison to communicate with inmates behind glass.