News & Commentary

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.

Latest Press Release

Mar 19, 2026

CoreCivic Pays Settlement to Estate of 23-Year-Old Asylum Seeker Who Died in Torrance County Detention Facility

The case addressed the TCDF’s systemic failures in its mental health care and CoreCivic’s extreme negligence, which resulted in Kesley Vial’s tragic and preventable death.
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Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.

Two signs that read "We build this country together" and "our families have no borders"

A New Phase in Civil Liberties Advocacy: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

For decades, the ACLU of New Mexico has worked alongside communities to defend civil liberties and expand the promise of the constitution. Today, with fundamental freedoms under intensifying attack and the stakes for our democracy higher than ever, that work has never been more urgent.
A house with ristras hanging on the porch in New Mexico.

The 2026 Legislative Session: Creating A Firewall for Freedom in New Mexico

As we approach the 2026 legislative session, our nation is facing unprecedented threats to our fundamental freedoms. But we aren’t powerless against these attacks.
An image showing the group of panelists at the Rethinking Public Safety town hall in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Rethinking Public Safety Town Hall

The ACLU of New Mexico and the All Safe New Mexico Coalition came together on January 15 for a powerful “Rethinking Public Safety” Town Hall.
Sep 07, 2021

10 Things to Know about Combating Violence in America

As communities grapple with violent crime, calls for more police have increased. Here's why policing isn't the solution to violence, and some viable alternatives.

Protesters hold a banner calling for investment in communities, not the police
Aug 23, 2021

What is Redistricting and Why Should We Care?

Here’s how 2020 census data could determine your voice in future elections.

By ACLU National

A map of the redistricting plan for the City of North Charleston.
Aug 15, 2021

Nine Years After DACA Went Into Effect, Congress On The Verge Of Passing A Path To Citizenship

A pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants is within reach. Congress must get it done.

A girl and her father stand with some 200,000 immigrants' rights activists flood the National Mall to demand comprehensive immigration reform on March 21, 2010 in Washington DC.
Aug 02, 2021

Title 42 Decimates Asylum Rights and Biden Should End It

Too often, our nation has learned who we don’t want to be from the mistakes of our past. Indeed, asylum laws were born of a shameful history — our government’s failure to shelter thousands of Jewish people fleeing state-sponsored persecution by the Nazi regime.

By Nayomi Valdez, Katie Hoeppner

Title 42 Op-Ed, Immigrants Waving American Flags
Jul 21, 2021

Secretary Mayorkas Pledged to End His Agency’s Anti-Immigrant Abuses. Here’s What He’s Delivered.

As he approaches the sixth month anniversary of his confirmation, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ progress report is mixed.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during news conference with a U.S. Homeland Security flag behind him.
Jul 14, 2021

How America Disguised 65,000 Prison Beds

Alternatives to incarceration often replicate the same problematic technologies that fostered mass incarceration.

By ACLU National

Clean lawn and tidy oak trees in front of an apartment complex
Jul 12, 2021

At End of SCOTUS Term, Where Are We on LGBTQ+ Rights?

The Supreme Court took action on three cases directly affecting LGBTQ+ rights, and now the term is over. One of the rulings may well turn out to be a watershed moment in trans rights, while the other two suggest that the court has reached a stalemate

Photo of the Supreme Court Justices in black robes as composed October 27, 2020.
Jul 06, 2021

President Biden Can Prevent Over 4,000 People From Being Sent Back to Prison

If President Biden allows thousands of people to be sent back to federal prison, he would be presiding over the fastest expansion of the federal prison population in history.

An empty cell block in a prison with tables and blue doors.
Jun 29, 2021

Cruelty and Coercion: How ICE Abuses Hunger Strikers

A new report from the ACLU and Physicians for Human Rights details ICE’s abuse and retaliation against people who initiate hunger strikes in immigration detention.

By ACLU National

Woman holds sign that reads "Close the Camps" outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Portland