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. 

Latest Press Release


People Incarcerated in Doña Ana County Jail Sue Over Violent Paramilitary Tactics and Inhumane Treatment 

Six people who were held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center (DACDC) filed a lawsuit today seeking to end the jail's practice of conducting violent, unwarranted paramilitary training operations on incarcerated people.
Body camera footage from March 8, 2025, when such training operations took place at DACDC. Various officers, masked and armed, are seen running into the quiet cells in the middle of the night.

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

A photo of Rita Padilla-Gutiérrez standing in front of her sign that reads: "Trump, racist, rapist, not my president"

More Than a Yard Sign: Fighting for Free Speech in Tomé, New Mexico

When Rita Padilla-Gutiérrez posted anti-Trump signs in her yard, Valencia County threatened her with criminal prosecution at the urging of a pro-Trump county commissioner.

By Rita-Padilla Gutiérrez

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

Paid Family Medical Leave Invests in People; New Mexico's Small Businesses and Nonprofits Need It

Over my years working in HR, I’ve seen the inner workings of small businesses and nonprofits. I know the nerves that can come with checking the bank balance to see if there is enough to make payroll. I know how being down a staff member unexpectedly can throw a wrench in operations. These are real struggles that small businesses face.

By Kari Sutton

ACLU: Share image

Five Ways 'Tough on Crime' Fails New Mexico Families

"Tough on Crime" policies can actually increase the chances that people will turn to criminalized behavior, creating the opposite of the intended effect. 

By Nayomi Valdez

How tough on crime fails new mexico families

Juvenile Justice in New Mexico: One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

We must view children’s behavior and (perceived) misbehavior objectively; we must be honest about where these problems stem from, begin to question the institutions that exist that perpetuate them, and be willing to reimagine what community safety looks like.

By Carla Palacios

bill sponsors and advocates during the final floor debate on SB64 in the 2023 legislative session

Care Over Confrontation: Community Safety Beyond Policing

Over the last ten years, New Mexico consistently has one of the highest, and frequently the highest, per capita rate of people killed by police. A

By Daniel Williams

Care Over Confrontation - Albuquerque Skyline

The Governor's Dangerous Executive Order Could Silence Protected Speech in New Mexico

The ACLU of New Mexico takes no position on the Israel-Hamas conflict. But we take a strong position against state censorship.

By Kristin Greer Love

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We Respectfully Dissent

The ACLU of New Mexico opposes the decision by ACLU National to represent the NRA.

DISSENT IS PATRIotic

More Officers Aren't the Answer to Mental Illness, Homelessness and Addiction

We don’t need more police officers. We need police officers’ responsibilities narrowed to the kinds of encounters they are best suited to address.

By Peter Simonson

APD SUV

Crime Survivors Want Smart Justice

Our elected leaders must be brave enough to invest in the infrastructure needed to pursue evidence-based solutions known to improve public safety outcomes and abandon, once and for all, failed and outdated policies that create new crimes and increase existing penalties.

By Barron Jones

People not Prisons

Denied Reproductive Care at a Religiously Affiliated Hospital? We Want to Know.

Religious freedom in the United States means that we all have a right to our own religious beliefs – including the right to have none.

By Ellie Rushforth

Hospital bed