News & Commentary

How three female attorneys fought back against rampant sexism at a New Mexico district attorney’s offic

One of the axiomatic truths of the legislative session is that it’s really hard to pass a good law. Believe us, we know. The ACLU of New Mexico has worked tirelessly year after year to advance legislation that makes our state a more just, free, and safe place to live and raise families, but year after year we see most of our priority bills fall victim to a torturous legislative process filled with a myriad of pitfalls, minefields, and political quagmire.

There is nothing patriotic about holding toddlers at gunpoint. It’s hard to believe that this even needs to be said. But that’s exactly what an armed group of vigilantes calling themselves the “United Constitutional Patriots” … has been doing along the southern border of New Mexico for the past several months. This group, which until recently was squatting on a remote parcel of railroad-owned land near Sunland Park, filming themselves detaining groups of migrants, mostly families with young children, and holding them until Border Patrol arrived on the scene.

In recent weeks, a group calling themselves the United Constitutional Patriots illegally detained hundreds of immigrants at gunpoint in a remote part of the border near Sunland Park, N.M., and turned them over to U.S. Border Patrol.

The ACLU of New Mexico hosted a live stream on Monday morning discussing the 2019 legislative session in New Mexico. 

March 31 is transgender day of visibility, a day to celebrate transgender people and raise awareness of the discrimination so many face.

Like many New Mexicans, I live with felony convictions dating back decades. Slightly more than 20 years ago, an Albuquerque police officer arrested me for taking an end table off of my neighbor’s sun porch and charged me with residential burglary — a third degree felony. I pleaded guilty and the judge sentenced me to 18 months in prison followed by five years of probation and two years of parole.

This bill gets at some of the most important tools for fighting recidivism: access to good jobs, safe housing, and educational opportunities.

Elisha’s family was counting on Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies to help her. Instead, they killed her.28-year-old Elisha Lucero’s mental health had declined since undergoing major brain surgery earlier in the year, and on July 21 her family called 911 after she began exhibiting erratic and dangerous behavior. They just wanted the first responders to escort her to the hospital for treatment. Instead, the responding deputies needlessly escalated the situation and shot her 21 times.