Dignity Not Detention Act passes its first committee hearing
UPDATE: SB145 FAILED TO PASS A SENATE FLOOR VOTE
On Wednesday, January 31, The New Mexico Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee passed the Dignity Not Detention Act (SB145) by a vote of 6-3. During the hearing, the committee heard from a number of people arguing both sides of the bill, which would effectively end the unnecessary detention of immigrants and asylum seekers.
NMILC, including Sophia Genovese serving as an expert witness, was present at the hearing and filmed what the proponents of the bill had to say about the current state of the state’s three detention centers, Torrance County Detention Facility, Otero County Processing Center, and Cibola County Correctional Center, all of which have well-documented histories of unlivable conditions, interference with access to legal counsel, inadequate health care, and even deaths. Speakers included Ariel Prado, the director of civic engagement at Innovation Law Lab, ACLU policy advocate Leonardo Castañeda, New Mexico Dream Team legislative fellow Mia Rascon, Reverand Mike Angell of St. Michael and All Angels Espicopal Church and supervising attorney Zoey Bowman of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.
If passed, SB145 would prohibit New Mexico public entities from entering into contracts to detain people for civil immigration violations and require any New Mexico public entities with existing Intergovernmental Services Agreements (IGSAs) to exercise the termination provision in those contracts. Opponents of the bill argued that the bill would effectively hinder their local rural economies as these private prisons are the largest employers in their respective regions. As Prado points out in his speech, supporters of detention centers would have us believe that “rural economic stress begins when prisons close,” and offered multiple ways that rural communities could improve their economies.
“State funding for the things that residents of rural communities actually need,” Prado stated, “can help create jobs that people actually want.”
SB145 will now move to the Senate Judiciary Committee. NMILC and the Dignity Not Detention Coalition, which includes the New Mexico Dream Team, Innovation Law Lab, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and the Detention Watch Network, encourages the public to be more informed about these detention facilities and how the passing of SB145 will be a big step to building a more humane immigration system by ending the collaboration between local governments and ICE to detain and deport New Mexico residents.
