New Mexico Immigrant Law Center

The Trump admin is pushing to expand Fort Bliss into the largest immigration detention center in the U.S.

This expansion threatens our communities, and we must stop it.

We joined partners from NM & TX to say NO to mass detention because New Mexico must keep standing strong! #NoMassDetention

Fort Bliss Immigration Camp Sparks Backlash Over Militarized Detention As the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement, a new detention site at Fort Bliss raises alarm over secrecy, scale, and the use of military resources.

In World War II, Fort Bliss was used as an internment camp for Japanese Americans.

In President Trump's first term, it was used to detain children separated from their families.

Now, it'll be the largest ICE detention camp in the country and tearing our communities apart. The cruelty must stop.

Sen. Martin Heinrich is calling for the closure of the Torrance County Detention Facility after witnessing conditions he called "inadequate and inappropriate."
tinyurl.com/48c2shth

#enddetentionnow #immigrantjustice

NM immigration rights groups decry Trump list of NM sanctuary counties, cities • Source New Mexico Immigrant rights group decry U.S. Homeland Security list targeting New Mexico's so-called sanctuary jurisdictions

Of the 33 counties in New Mexico, 23 have been listed by the Department of Homeland Security as "sanctuary jurisdictions," which the department said "are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities."
tinyurl.com/nm-sanctuaries

Bloomberg article on ICE detention centers in rural communities that detain non-criminal immigrants

Rural communities like Estancia are convinced that economic survival is dependent on private prisons. CoreCivic, who runs the Torrance County Detention Center, gets paid more than $2M dollars in federal funding EVERY MONTH to detain criminals and non-criminal immigrants.
lnkd.in/guZz-H-H

NMILC attorney Valeria Garcia

In this powerful segment from New Mexico in Focus, NMILC attorney Valeria Garcia Tavares joins civil rights leaders Marshall Martinez (Equality NM) and Deanna Warren (ACLUNM) to break down the real-life impact of federal immigration policy on our communities. Watch here: tinyurl.com/pbs-valeria

NMILC's Sophia Genovese recently was quoted in the Albuquerque Journal article, sounding a warning that immigrants who self-deport could face high barriers to legal reentry to the U.S. "...it will create barriers for people seeking to return through some other lawful pathway."

lnkd.in/gYXDTjvV

ICE's Dismantling of Humanitarian Release | Opinion The complete dismantling of humanitarian release from immigration detention is counter to law, inhumane, and expensive.

Professor of Law Emerita and Director of the Immigration Law & Policy Initiative at The Catholic University of America Stacy L. Brustin wrote this op-ed based on her experience providing legal assistance to men detained in facilities in Torrance and Cibola counties.

tinyurl.com/nm-detention...

This May 1st is International Workers’ Day — join us and El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos in celebrating the workers who make daily life in Albuquerque possible for all of us. Immigrant rights and workers’ rights go hand in hand. Together, we will march in solidarity for our communities.

This week is National Volunteer Week! Without our volunteers, NMILC would not be able to help as many clients a we do. Our volunteer spotlight today is on Jennifer Baidon Carrillo. Thank you for all you do for us Jennifer!

For more spotlights visit www.nmilc.org/our-blog/vol...

Today is Southern New Mexico Giving Day! We urge your to take part by donating to your favorite organization or NMILC. We have set a goal of $30,000 and need your help!
DONATE LINK: www.southernnewmexicogivingday.org/organization...

NMILC is celebrating National Volunteer Awareness Week by spotlighting a handful of the numerous volunteers who help us stay true to our mission. Today, we want to celebrate and thank Janette Durán! Janette brings a deep sense of history and solidarity to her volunteer work at NMILC.

“I am part of the community that descended from the people who were here even before this was the United States, ... and I feel connection to the immigrant community here. And that's part of the reason I think it's important to contribute to my time to programs like this one.” —Janette Durán

Lawyers and advocates say 48 people are unaccounted for after ICE raid in New Mexico An attorney for the ACLU in the state said community advocates were “on the verge of tears” Monday because they had little to no information on the people who were arrested.

Along with a coalition of organizations, NMILC highlighted the urgency of passing HB 9 at a press conference on Monday and addressed the 48 NM residents taken by ICE, and remain unaccounted for. #nmleg #immigrantsafetyact

tinyurl.com/48-disappeared

ICE ‘disappeared’ 48 New Mexico residents, attorneys say • Source New Mexico “We don’t know what’s happened to these four dozen New Mexicans. They’ve effectively disappeared. They’re gone,” an ACLU attorney said.

sourcenm.com/2025/03/17/i...

Join us to discuss what is at stake for immigrant children if the Unaccompanied Children Program is defunded.
Hear from experts at @florenceproject.bsky.social, The Amica Center, @immdef.bsky.social, & @acaciajustice.bsky.social.

Monday, March 24 2PM ET/ 11 PT
Via Zoom tinyurl.com/ucpwebinar

YouTube video by nmilc Immigrant Detention: The Human Cost of a Billion Dollar Industry

The Immigrant Safety Act (HB9) will rid New Mexico of its complicity of detaining immigrants who have committed no crimes into private, for profit prisons. Immigrants seeking asylum and citizenship should not be separated from their families. #immigrantsafety #immigrationlaw
youtu.be/CQCjD-4azU0?...

AILA Leaders Express Deep Concerns at Trump Administration Undermining Constitutionally Protected First Amendment Rights AILA President Kelli Stump and Executive Director Ben Johnson respond to recent actions and threats by the Trump Administration against individuals with legal immigration status that undermine fundame...

"We are witnessing a chilling and deeply concerning shift to targeting people for exercising their fundamental right of free speech,” says AILA President Kelli Stump in response to the arrest and detention of green card holder Mahmoud Khalil.

3. All children deserve to be free and safe with their families. We demand the immediate release of all families currently detained at Karnes Residential Center in Karnes City, Texas, and a permanent end to this shameful practice.

Poster for New Mexico's Immigrant Safety Act (HB9) announcing that the bill will be on the Health and Public Affairs Committee agenda on March 14, 2025 and asking for support

The Immigrant Safety Act (HB9) is officially second on the agenda for the Health and Public Affairs Committee today!
Show your support! Roundhouse Room 311, 30 minutes after the Senate Adjourns on the floor (estimated time: 1:30pm)
#hb9 #immigrantsafety #immigrantsafetyact #immigrantlaw