ACLU of New Mexico says ICE replaced one underhanded contract with another
ACLU of New MexicoEmma O'Sullivan, staff attorney, in the ACLU of New Mexico's press release
Announcing its records lawsuit, the ACLU of New Mexico said it is concerned that ICE replaced one underhanded contract with another, and that ICE cannot keep operating in New Mexico without accountability after the Immigrant Safety Act.
“We’re concerned that ICE just replaced one underhanded contract with another The state made it clear with the passage of the Immigrant Safety Act that New Mexico stands against the mistreatment and abuse of people in these detention facilities. ICE cannot continue to operate here without accountability.”
Official statement
Original text
Where this statement fits
ICE gives CoreCivic a no-bid contract to keep two New Mexico detention centers open; advocates sue for the records
After New Mexico barred counties from detention agreements with ICE, the agency gave CoreCivic a sole-source contract to keep holding immigrants at the Torrance County Detention Facility and the Cibola County Correctional Center. Immigrant legal advocates say ICE bypassed competitive bidding and have sued for the contract records. ICE's notice said CoreCivic was the only operator able to meet its requirements in time.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Press release announcing the October 16, 2026 lawsuit. It quotes Emma O'Sullivan, a staff attorney at the ACLU of New Mexico, and Jessica I. Martínez, director of policy and coalition building at the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center.
Original text
About this source
Freedom of Information Act complaint the ACLU of New Mexico filed in federal court on October 16, 2026, on behalf of the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. It describes ICE's move from county agreements to a sole-source contract with CoreCivic for the Torrance and Cibola facilities and the center's request for the contract and its written justification. Its account of ICE's conduct is the plaintiff's allegation.
Before the quotation
The ACLU of New Mexico filed the lawsuit on behalf of the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center after ICE had not produced records about its contract with CoreCivic for the Torrance and Cibola detention facilities.
After the quotation
The release says ICE sidestepped federal contracting requirements that generally require competitive bidding and a review of contractors' safety records, and that very little information about the new contracts has been made public.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is ICE's sole-source contract with CoreCivic to keep detaining immigrants at the Torrance and Cibola facilities after the Immigrant Safety Act. The ACLU calls it an underhanded contract and says ICE cannot operate without accountability, which criticizes the contract itself, so we labeled it Condemned. It goes beyond disputing a description of the contract, so Challenged characterization does not fit.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
More from this case
Read the full caseImmigrant law center says ICE is trying to evade New Mexico's law
New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
“Our communities spoke up and passed the Immigrant Safety Act to say that we refuse to be complicit in locking up immigrants, yet ICE is doing everything in its power to retain and expand Trump’s cruel detention and deportation machine in our state We’re requesting these documents because New Mexicans deserve to know why ICE and the Trump administration are attempting to evade our laws while they continue to subject people to inhumane detention.”Read statement
Cibola County manager says the county is relieved by ICE's direct contract with CoreCivic
Cibola County
“The jobs won’t go, and we’re very relieved — so relieved I was kind of concerned, because in state government procurement would take longer. They did it very quickly, and I don’t know how they did it, but they’re doing a federal procurement, not state”Read statement
Innovation Law Lab calls continued detention at Torrance a rebuke of the people's will
Innovation Law Lab
“That this facility would continue to operate as an immigration detention center in the wake of the passage of Immigrant Safety Act in New Mexico is a direct rebuke of the will of the people”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "ACLU of New Mexico says ICE replaced one underhanded contract with another". First published: 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20. https://disputeindex.com/events/6126-announcing-its-records-lawsuit-the-aclu-of-new