News & Commentary

Did you attend  a rally, march, vigil, or protest in the past year? Maybe you went all the way to Washington D.C. for the Women’s March, or you’re attending the upcoming March for Science. If you took any photos while you were there, enter them for a chance to have your photos be featured by the ACLU of New Mexico on social media and in upcoming promotional materials & win prizes (even some $$). Find out what you need to do below:

On March 27, the American people witnessed something remarkable: the country’s Top Cop went on national TV and demanded that our state and local officials violate the constitution…or else. Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened to cut off federal crime-fighting funds from so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to honor immigration hold requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These immigration hold requests, often called “ICE Detainers,” ask local jails and prisons to detain certain people up to 48 hours beyond their original release date (not including holidays or weekends) so they can investigate their immigration status.

Yesterday, the Albuquerque City Council voted to pass legislation broadening the mayor’s powers during a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a scary time for immigrant families in New Mexico. The President campaigned on a virulently anti-immigrant, xenophobic platform that we’re now seeing it enacted through his unconstitutional and immoral executive orders targeting immigrants and refugees as well as increased immigration crackdowns in our communities.

The New Mexico legislature is just one of the ways that we advance civil liberties in our state. We aim to support bills that strengthen our rights guaranteed under the Constitution and defeat bills that threaten them. See below for our legislative priorities.

On January 20th, America watched a man assume the presidency who has, among other things, pledged to deport our undocumented neighbors, place our Muslim friends under aggressive surveillance, reauthorize torture as an interrogation tactic, and punish women for making decisions about their own bodies and health. Though he was duly elected under the laws governing our land, the majority of Americans rejected the racism, xenophobia, and sexism that were the very heart and foundation of his campaign.

 LAS CRUCES, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights (RCBR), the ACLU Foundation of Texas (ACLU-TX), and the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) filed a complaint on behalf of thirteen border residents, urging the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to investigate abusive treatment by Office of Field Operations officers at ports of entry in El Paso, Texas and southern New Mexico.

“You’re a whore.”

ACLU-NM lawsuit pushes PED to remove ban against “disparaging” standardized tests SANTA FE, NM—In response to a free speech lawsuit filed in March by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) announced that it will begin the process of removing the rule that prohibits PED employees from “disparaging” standardized tests. The PED will ask the court for a stay in the lawsuit while it goes through the necessary steps to remove the gag rule from the books.