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


Trial in Wrongful Death Case of Kesley Vial Will Not Proceed

The wrongful death trial on behalf of the estate of Kesley Vial, scheduled to begin Monday, January 5, 2026, in First Judicial District Court will not proceed.
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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

Know Your Rights at Interior Immigration Checkpoints

If you find yourself at an interior immigration checkpoint, know that you have rights.

Border Checkpoint - Nia

Smart Justice - Gary's Story

Gary's Story

Trans People #WillNotBeErased

In partnership with our friends at the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, we put this video together to highlight some of the stories of Transgender New Mexicans and the struggles they face in their day to day lives.

Trans People Will not Be Erased

Danger in the Blind Spots: The Hidden Costs of Predictive Policing

Computer programs that crunch data from arrest reports, court records, even social media accounts, and then spit out predictions about future crimes to stop them before they happen, promise to have policing down to a science. But hidden in the blind spots of these data-crunching algorithms lay numerous civil liberties concerns.

By Katie Hoeppner

The Civil Liberties Concerns With predictive Policing

Smart Justice: Opening Doors and Breaking Down Barriers

On June 29, Franky Gonzales left the Bernalillo County Clerk’s office with tears streaming down his face.

By Barron Jones

Rory Wolf at the July BBQ hosted by Smart Justice NM in Albuquerque.

In Harm's Way

As renowned Native American artist Mateo Romero drove along Old Santa Fe Trail on a hot July day, he couldn’t have imagined that he’d soon be lying face down on the ground with a rifle pointed at his head.

By Katie Hoeppner

Mateo Romero working in his studio.

Hope in a Grim Environment

It was mid-May and Ramadan was just beginning. For weeks prior, Tremaine was consumed with worry that he and his friends would be denied participation in the holy month, a time when Muslims deepen their faith through fasting and communal prayer.

By Katie Hoeppner

Tremaine praying alongside fellow inmates

From the Desk of Executive Director Peter Simonson

First Merrick Garland’s stolen seat, now Kennedy’s retirement. It’s a one-two gut punch that has left those of us who treasure the cause of freedom and equality deeply distressed about the direction that the U.S. Supreme Court will almost certainly take for the better part of a generation. Assuming that Trump’s pick for Kennedy’s replacement, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, is confirmed by the Republican-held Senate, the court will have a clear 5-4 majority of justices who are likely to be consistently hostile to reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, privacy rights, immigrants’ rights, and the plight of the poor.

By Peter Simonson

photo of a a man from the shoulders up wearing a blue shirt, tie, and black jacket

Cruelty Without Boundary: Inside the Family Separation Crisis

"The agents didn’t say anything about where they were going to take my son,” said Samuel*, from behind a glass partition. “They just took him away. And then they told me I was going to jail. I’ve never been to jail. This has never happened before.”

By Kristin Greer Love

Young child grabbing his parent's leg, crying