Image of Juan holding his daughter

A New Mexican Father Was Ripped Away From His Family After This New Mexico Agency Illegally Coordinated With ICE

Juan Lamas Aguilar has been held at the Torrance County Detention Facility since July 10.

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 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. 
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

Fighting the Immigration Detention Machine

After security forces viciously beat him and threw him in jail for expressing opinions critical of the government, Raul Villegran* fled his native Cuba and made a harrowing journey through Central America and Mexico to seek asylum in the United States in early spring 2019.

By Micah McCoy

Fighting-The-Immigration-Detention-Machine

Fired for being trans

The ACLU will keep fighting in New Mexico and beyond so that people like Diane don’t have to decide between two impossible choices—being oneself while enduring humiliating and degrading treatment or hiding in abject suffering to appease others. The cost of both is too high.

By Katie Hoeppner

Fired for Being Trans

How New Mexico can foster second chances

The New Mexico prison population stands near 7,500 inmates. Nearly all these individuals will be released and will face many challenges as they rejoin their communities, one of which will be finding a job. Unfortunately, this task is made much more difficult by nonsensical state laws.

By Paul Haidle

How NM Can Foster Second Chances

Diane came out as transgender only to face over 18 months of harassment at work before being fired

We, together with cooperating attorney Mark Chaiken of Virtue & Najjar, PC filed a lawsuit in the First Judicial District Court on behalf of Diane Roberts, a transgender woman who was discriminated against, harassed, and ultimately fired by ABF Freight Inc. after coming out as transgender.

By Raychel Sanner

Diane Roberts

"You can't say you love God and hate your neighbor"

An interview with Father Jim Lehman of Holy Family Church in Las Cruces

By Katie Hoeppner

Fr. Lehman

Quick to Judge

Selene was in an impossible situation. She couldn’t adequately defend herself, but with each plea she made to the judge for an interpreter he became increasingly hostile, accusing her of lying about her inability to follow the proceedings.

By Katie Hoeppner

Quick to Judge

Crossing the Line

The dark handheld camera footage shows a large group of people, mostly families clutching small children, blinded by the flashlights trained on their faces. Heavily armed men wearing fake law enforcement badges, ski masks, and camouflage uniforms bark orders to the frightened families.

By Micah McCoy

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A Pharmacist's Personal Views Shouldn't Stand in Between You and Your Healthcare Provider

Here we go again. After a certified nurse midwife prescribed misoprostol for her patient in preparation for an IUD insertion, she received a phone call from the pharmacist on duty asking for assurance that the medication wouldn’t be used for abortion because of his personal beliefs against it.

Elizabeth's Story

Rachael's Life Hung in the Balance Because of Someone Else's Religious Beliefs

No one should ever have to wait to receive the healthcare they need to save their life because of the religious beliefs of someone else. 

Rachael Lorenzo Story