Immigrant law center says ICE is trying to evade New Mexico's law
New Mexico Immigrant Law CenterJessica I. Martínez, director of policy and coalition building, in the ACLU of New Mexico's press release
The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center said ICE is doing everything in its power to keep and expand immigration detention in New Mexico after the Immigrant Safety Act, and that it requested the records because New Mexicans deserve to know why ICE is attempting to evade state law.
“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.”
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 center, represented by the ACLU of New Mexico, sued ICE on October 16, 2026, over a records request about the agency's direct contracting arrangements with CoreCivic for the Torrance and Cibola detention facilities.
After the quotation
The release says the records request was submitted to ICE more than a month before the lawsuit.
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 center says ICE is attempting to evade state law and subjecting people to inhumane detention, which criticizes the arrangement itself, so we labeled it Condemned. It does not merely dispute how the contract is described, 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 caseACLU of New Mexico says ICE replaced one underhanded contract with another
ACLU of New Mexico
“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.”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
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Immigrant law center says ICE is trying to evade New Mexico's law
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6127-the-new-mexico-immigrant-law-center-said-ice
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Immigrant law center says ICE is trying to evade New Mexico's law". First published: 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20. https://disputeindex.com/events/6127-the-new-mexico-immigrant-law-center-said-ice