Press Releases

Direct all press inquiries to: ACLU of New Mexico Communications Team E-Mail: [email protected]

ACLU Commends New Directive Requiring Border Patrol to Safeguard and Return Migrants’ Personal Belongings

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has published a groundbreaking new directive to curb longstanding inconsistencies and abuses in Border Patrol’s handling of migrants’ personal belongings. This policy change is a victory for immigrants’ rights and follows more than a decade of advocacy.

Lawmakers Right to Pass Bill Funding Wildfire and Flooding Relief and then Adjourn, Say Advocacy Organizations

Both chambers of the New Mexico Legislature adjourned today, after passing a bill to fund the special session, which also included appropriations to help communities recover from wildfires and flooding in Ruidoso and Mescalero Apache Tribal lands.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Governor Lujan Grisham Reckless in Moving Forward with Unsupported Policy Proposals, Say Advocacy Organizations

Bold Futures, Equality New Mexico, the ACLU of New Mexico, and the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness condemned the governor's remarks scapegoating and perpetuating harmful narratives about New Mexicans who are experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and addiction.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Halt Special Legislative Session, Urge 41 Advocacy Organizations and Mental Health Experts

Today, the ACLU of New Mexico, EQNM, Bold Futures NM, and the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, along with 37 other leading advocacy organizations and mental health experts sent a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham urging her to call off the special legislative session.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU-NM Calls for Investigation, Releases After Man Dies in ICE Custody in Otero Detention Facility

The ACLU of New Mexico calls on ICE to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into Jhon Javier Benavides Quintana's death and to publicize the results of the investigation.

Migrants Held in Otero Prison File Complaint for Retaliatory Use of Solitary Confinement

The five asylum seekers from Venezuela refused to agree to their removal to Mexico due to their fear of serious harm in Mexico. In direct retaliation, ICE officers and guards placed them in solitary confinement.

Family Sues APD Over SWAT Raid That Destroyed Albuquerque Home

The Coleman family, who lost their home in Albuquerque following a SWAT operation-caused fire, filed a complaint today against the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
Issue Areas: Police Practices

As APD Consent Decree Ends, ACLU Urges Vigilance in Ensuring Community Members' Rights and Safety

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico emphasized the crucial need for continued vigilance to safeguard the protection of community members' rights and safety.
Issue Areas: Police Practices

ACLU Issues Travel Advisory for Oklahoma After Passage of Extreme Anti-Immigrant Law

The American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLUs) of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, San Diego and Imperial Counties, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas issued an advisory warning their residents about the threat of civil and constitutional rights violations when traveling in Oklahoma.