SB 172 moves to Senate Judiciary Committee
Media Contact Email: Sophia Genovese | sgenovese@nmilc.org
2|09|2023
SB 172 moves to Senate Judiciary Committee
Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee Passes Proposal To Ban Contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Mexico With 5 - 2 Vote
Albuquerque, N.M- The New Mexico Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee
passed SB 172 with a vote of 5-2. The proposal now moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee. If signed, Senate Bill 172, an Intergovernmental Service Agreement (“IGSA”) ban, will prohibit New Mexican local governments from contracting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the purposes of immigration detention.
Detained migrants and asylum seekers have reported widespread violations of their human rights and safety, even resulting in death, inside New Mexico’s three ICE detention centers: Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia; Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan; and Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral. Furthermore, reports have shown that immigration detention damages the economies of New Mexico communities.
New Mexicans value welcoming newcomers with dignity, regardless of immigration status. The caging of migrants and asylum seekers is a direct affront to our values, and we should distance ourselves from the ever-growing ICE enforcement and detention apparatus.
Fernanda Banda, Campaigns Manager at New Mexico Dream Team, said:
“We need to start by putting an end to the most severe form of systemic violence, which is depriving people of their freedom. My family, and families of those who are detained suffer from our country's excessive use of detentions here in New Mexico. I was separated from my dad after he was detained and deported by the Otero County Prison Facility eleven years ago. During his time in detention he would tell my mother and sister he was scared because they would not pay attention to their needs, the officers would mistreat the inmates, and the conditions they lived in were not good or sanitary. My father never got the opportunity to see his lawyer, or speak to him. It saddens me to see my community continuing to be the victim of horrendous acts and treatment, we need to put an end to this right away.”
Ariel Prado, Program Director at Innovation Law Lab, said:
“Despite what ICE would have New Mexicans believe, immigration detention centers in the state have brought death, hunger strikes, terrifying rates of suicidality, and widespread negligent and abusive conditions. SB 172 offers New Mexicans a chance to reject the xenophobic torture of immigrants and free its local economies of these extractive, shameful cages.”
Sophia Genovese, Senior Attorney at New Mexico Immigrant Law Center said:
“We are thrilled to be one step closer to passing SB172. As demonstrated by the resounding support from the community and legislators in today’s committee hearing, it is clear that New Mexicans do not want to be complicit in the torture and human suffering we see on a daily basis inside our state’s ICE facilities.”
*Zoom or in person interviews available upon request.*
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The New Mexico Dream Team is a statewide network committed to create power for multigenerational, undocumented, and mixed status families through trainings and leadership development. We work to engage our community and allies in becoming leaders using an intersectional, gender, and racial justice lens—to develop and implement an organizing and advocacy infrastructure for policy change fighting to dismantle systemic oppression.
Innovation Law Lab is a nonprofit organization that leverages law, technology and organizing to fight for immigrant and refugee justice. For more information, see www.innovationlawlab.org and follow us on social media: @innovationlawlab on Facebook & Instagram and @ThinkLawLab on Twitter.
The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center is a non-profit organization seeking to advance justice and equity by empowering low-income immigrant communities through collaborative legal services, advocacy, and education.
