ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico filed a lawsuit on behalf of the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) in federal court today against Immigration and U.S. Customs Enforcement (ICE) for failing to respond to a records request. The Freedom of Information Act request was submitted with ICE over a month ago asking for records about the agency's direct contracting arrangements with CoreCivic, Inc. related to the Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF) and Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC).
"We’re concerned that ICE just replaced one underhanded contract with another,” said Emma O'Sullivan, staff attorney at the ACLU of New Mexico. "The state made it clear with the passage of the Immigrant Safety Act that New Mexico stands against the mistreatment and abuse of people in these detention facilities. ICE cannot continue to operate here without accountability."
The Immigrant Safety Act, passed during the 2026 legislative session, prevents ICE from contracting with New Mexico counties to use their correctional facilities as ICE detention centers. It came at a time when the Trump administration’s mass detentions and deportations were devastating the country, endangering the lives of both immigrants and citizens. The law got New Mexico out of the business of immigration detention, leaving the federal government with the limited options of operating ICE facilities directly or contracting with private entities like CoreCivic.
This spring, ICE announced that it would enter non-competitive “sole source” direct contracts with CoreCivic in both Torrance and Cibola counties to continue detaining immigrants there. ICE sidestepped important federal contracting requirements that generally require competitive bidding and a review of contractors’ safety records. Very little information about the new contracts has been made public, leaving New Mexicans in the dark about the use of taxpayer money to detain immigrants at the two facilities.
"Our communities spoke up and passed the Immigrant Safety Act to say that we refuse to be complicit in locking up immigrants, yet ICE is doing everything in its power to retain and expand Trump’s cruel detention and deportation machine in our state,” said Jessica I. Martínez, director of policy and coalition building at NMILC. “We’re requesting these documents because New Mexicans deserve to know why ICE and the Trump administration are attempting to evade our laws while they continue to subject people to inhumane detention.”
Advocates have long raised grave concerns about chronic conditions endangering the health and safety of people held at immigration detention centers in the state, including TCDF and CCCC, both operated by the private prison corporation CoreCivic. At least five people have tragically died in recent years at ICE facilities in New Mexico, including those of Kesley Vial, Roxsana Hernández, and Johana Medina León. People detained in ICE custody in our state have been subjected to some of the worst and inhumane practices by the administration, like third-country deportations and the Guantanamo Bay and CECOT prison in El Salvador deportations.
The complaint and exhibits can be found below.
Related Issues
Related Content
'They Treat Us Like We're Animals:' Inside Torrance County's Troubled Detention Center
ACLU NM Keeps Advocating for Torrance Closure, Immigrants’ Rights in New Mexico
Behind Detention Walls: Why New Mexico Must Act
Stay Informed
Sign up to be the first to hear about how to take action.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.