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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.

More from the Press


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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.


A Bad Cop's Best Friend

Qualified immunity and the quest to rebalance the scales of justice.

By Micah McCoy

A Bad Cop's Best Friend

A New Day

We will hold a Biden administration accountable just like we have held accountable every other presidential administration going back 100 years.

By Peter Simonson

A new day

Democracy on the Line

Inside the fight to protect every vote.

By Katie Hoeppner

Democracy on the line

The Questions You Probably THINK You Know the Answer to — But Likely Don’t — About ICE Detention

Our immigration detention system is complex and opaque by design. If you don't understand how it works, you're not alone.

By Hanna Johnson

10 questions immigrant detention

How They're Really Rigging Elections

Now is an excellent time to take a good hard look around at which politicians and elected leaders are undermining our democracy with word, deed, or silence - and remove them from positions of power and influence at the first available opportunity.

By Micah McCoy

Let people vote

Virus spread in NM jails, prisons should have, could have, been avoided

For the past seven months, rarely has a day gone by that the ACLU hasn’t received a desperate call or email from someone who has a family member or loved one locked up in one of our state’s jails or prisons. They are mothers, fathers, siblings, spouses – all terrified that someone they love will get sick because our state has abdicated its responsibility to prevent the unchecked spread of a deadly virus inside its detention facilities.

By Lalita Moskowitz

COVID Prisons Jails

ICE cruelty: What will Americans do?

Just when we thought U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s record of abuse couldn’t get much worse, a nurse at Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia provided testimony showing the agency is capable of more cruelty than we knew.

By Nadia Cabrera-Mazzeo, Zoila Y. Alvarez-Hernández

ICE CRUELTY What will Americans do?

Common Cause, ACLU launch statewide election integrity program

Common Cause New Mexico is teaming up with the ACLU of New Mexico to run a nonpartisan voter protection program this year to assist voters who encounter problems in voting, either by mail or in person.

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It's Time to Redefine Policing in New Mexico

During the recent special legislative session, the ACLU and its allies achieved something that six months ago seemed like an absolute long-shot: passing a law that requires every law enforcement agency in the state to adopt body-worn cameras. While the law does give us a new tool to strengthen police accountability in the state, it is by no means a cure-all for police excessive use of force. If we’re ever going to put an end to police violence, we will need to use every tool at our disposal to reform police culture and reduce the potential harm of police-citizen interactions.

By Peter Simonson

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