Kesley Vial

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.

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Billboards Celebrate NM Civil Rights Act Fifth Anniversary

To commemorate the five-year anniversary of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act (NMCRA), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico has placed five billboards praising the landmark law across Albuquerque.
A billboard that says "The NM Civil Rights Act turns five. Justice never gets old" with a "Welcome to New Mexico" sign on it.

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Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.


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New Mexico Must Keep Its Promise on Civil Rights

Five years ago, New Mexico made a promise. When our state passed the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, we declared that the rights guaranteed by the New Mexico Constitution meant something.
A graphic showing hot air ballons, a person holding their arms out towards a sunrise, and a sunset with painted clouds behind a silhouetted road sign.

The Case for Investing in New Mexico's Youth

The ACLU of New Mexico, along with partners, is prioritizing holistic solutions in juvenile justice — because we know these are the approaches that are safest and most effective for our communities.


Drug Testing the Poor: Unconstitutional and Un-American

Gary C. Mitchell, ACLU-NM Board President At a time when unemployment is high and families are struggling, Representative Steve Pearce (NM-2) picks a callous moment to create unnecessary hurdles for Americans to obtain ne

By Micah McCoy

ACLU Seeks Ruling that Physicians Can Provide Aid in Dying

 New Mexico Doctors, Com

By Micah McCoy

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Kicked Out Of School and Publicly Humiliated For Pregnancy

GALLUP, N.M. – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of New Mexico filed a lawsuit today on behalf of Shantelle Hicks, 15, who was initially kicked out of middle school and then publicly humiliated at an assembly by the school director and another staff member because she was pregnant.The complaint alleges that school administrators violated Hicks’ constitutional right to equal

By Micah McCoy

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Las Cruces Rally Is About Discrimination, Not Religious Liberty

Alexandra Freedman Smith Religious liberty is the first freedom guaranteed to us as Americans in our Bill of Rights. And for good reason too. The freedom to believe, or hold no religious beliefs at a

By Micah McCoy

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ACLU Sues Bloomfield for Display of 10 Commandments

Yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Bloomfield, NM citizens who seek the removal of the Ten Commandments monument prominently displayed on the city hall lawn. The lawsuit alleges that the monument is a government endorsement of religion and violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as the New Mexico State Constitution.

By Micah McCoy

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VIDEO: Voter Suppression in Albuquerque

Katy Sheridan is a retired grandmother of two who does not own a car. On October 4, 2011, she walked to the polls in the middle of a rainstorm to vote in Albuquerque city elections. She was turned away and told she could not vote because she was not carrying a valid photo ID.

By Micah McCoy

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Forced Parental Notification: Dangerous and Unnecessary

Abortion among teenagers should be made less necessary, not more difficult and dangerous. Many young women are fortunate to have loving and supportive parents and these teens overwhelmingly include their parents in their reproductive health decisions. However, pregnant teenagers also come from troubled homes, where they risk physical and mental abuse by disclosing to one or both of their parents that they are pregnant or are terminating the pregnancy.  . New Mexico should be most concerned with protecting the most vulnerable teens—teens who have been or are at great risk of physical and sexual abuse from their families --from unwanted pregnancy. Mandating parental involvement does not solve the problems associated with teenage pregnancy. Instead it unnecessarily puts our most vulnerable youth at risk of harm  REQUIRING PARENTAL CONSENT/NOTIFICATION IS UNNECESSARY

By Micah McCoy

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10th Circuit Upholds ACLU Challenge to Albuquerque Sex Offender Ban

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By Micah McCoy

Employment Opportunity: Office Manager

Office Manager

By Micah McCoy

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