News & Commentary
Kesley’s Legacy: Why No Detention is Safe
After three long years of litigation, the private prison company CoreCivic paid a settlement to the wrongful death estate of Kesley Vial, a 23-year-old Brazilian asylum seeker who died by suicide while in ICE custody at the Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF) in Estancia, New Mexico, in August of 2022.
Mar 11, 2019
Elaine Maestas speaks out
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.
Mar 11, 2019
Albuquerque Journal Gets It Wrong: SB 196 Would Create Clarity, Not Chaos With Law Enforcement
Why creating a bright line between local police and federal immigration agents, would be a boon for law and order — not a cause for chaos.
By Peter Simonson
Feb 20, 2019
Governor Does Right by New Mexico's Border Towns
New Mexico has enjoyed a rare moment in the national spotlight as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham broke through walls both literal and metaphorical in a recent viral campaign ad she released earlier this month, shortly after announcing she would withdraw most of the National Guard troops ordered to the border by President Donald Trump last year.What was important about this moment for New Mexicans, e
By Nia Rucker
Feb 11, 2019
No Solace in Solitary: It’s Long Past Time to Reform New Mexico’s Over-Reliance On A Brutal Practice
Kelly Garcia left Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center nearly six years ago, but sometimes, in her dreams, she finds herself back in a familiar cell. She’s trapped by the same four concrete walls and that same long lonely silence which was pierced only by the occasional cries of inmates worn down by solitude.
By Katie Hoeppner
Jan 31, 2019
Susan's Story - #WillNotBeErased
All too often, transgender people face discrimination in employment. Even with some legal protections in place, trans people like Susan face the prospect of unemployment and discrimination when coming out at work.
Dec 27, 2018
Living in Limbo: A dispatch from the frontlines of our fight against indefinite detention
“Every day you get tired from thinking, ‘Am I going to be released after one month, two months, three months?’ But every day it’s ‘tomorrow’ and it’s never finished.”
By Katie Hoeppner
Dec 20, 2018
Out of the Shadows: How the ACLU of New Mexico helped expose and regulate APD’s highly secretive and invasive surveillance technology
The Stingray doesn’t need eyes to hunt. The flat, boneless fish uses special sensors to detect the electrical signals of surrounding prey. Then, it attacks—sucking its meal up from underneath its body.
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