MILAN, N.M. — The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) on December 9, 2024, to demand an investigation into countless cases of medical neglect at the Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC) in Milan, New Mexico. The complaint illustrates a systemic pattern of medical neglect that subjects detained asylum seekers to needless suffering, exacerbating existing medical conditions and contributing to long-term consequences that could have been prevented with proper medical care and treatment.

The complaint details numerous examples of medical neglect on men detained at the CCCC and includes first-person testimonies, medical complaint forms where the men articulate their medical needs, and correspondence between NMILC attorneys and ICE

The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) submits the instant complaint regarding a staggering and dangerous lack of medical care for migrants in ICE custody at the Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC) in Milan, New Mexico. Shockingly, as recently as December 4, 2024, the DHS-ICE El Paso Field Office reported that only 55% of all medical positions at CCCC are filled. This employment shortage in CCCC creates extreme risks to the health and safety of asylum seekers detained there.

Despite clear regulatory requirements, medical care is universally inadequate for all types of medical vulnerabilities at CCCC.

This report includes qualitative interview data collected from 17 asylum seekers detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Torrance County Detention Facility, Cibola County Correctional Center, and Otero County Processing Center in rural New Mexico. Interviews were conducted from late September 2024 to early October 2024 at Cibola County Correctional Center and Torrance County Detention Center.

Dear Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Delgado and Assistant Director Sarah Flinn: 

New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (“NMILC”) submits this comment in opposition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ)’s final rule, Securing the Border, published in the Federal Register on October 7, 2024, and the accompanying request for comment on expanding and extending the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule (the “May 2023 asylum ban”). 

Since 2010, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) has been a lifeline for thousands of low-income immigrants, providing free legal services, advocacy, and education. 

NMILC Files Complaint Against Cibola County Correctional Center for Pepper Spray Attack on Immigrants

This week, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) and other oversight agencies, calling for an immediate investigation into ongoing due process violations and human rights abuses at Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF).

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – People held in ICE custody at the Torrance County Detention Facility have consistently issued statements regarding the ongoing mistreatment and poor conditions inside of the facility. They continue to detail unlivable dorm units, inedible food, mistreatment and discrimination by guards and ICE staff, and due process violations in their asylum proceedings.

Today, detainees released a statement and a list of demands providing a firsthand account of ongoing abuses at Torrance County Detention Facility. The original document with its signatories can be accessed here. Below is an English translation:

Albuquerque, N.M. Last night- HB 15, A Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification Bill, nicknamed the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) bill, passed The New Mexico House Judiciary Committee with a unanimous 10-0 vote garnering clear bipartisan support.

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Albuquerque, N.M. Senate Bill 350, a U Visa Certification Act, nicknamed the “U Visa Cert Bill,” has been filed at the New Mexico Legislature. The bill is sponsored by Senator Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez and House Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey.