New Mexico lawmakers have introduced House Bill 9, known as the Immigrant Safety Act, which aims to sever the state's involvement with the federal immigration detention system. The bill seeks to address issues related to human rights violations in detention centers, including three deaths since 2022.

The proposed legislation intends to close loopholes that allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and private contractors to bypass anti-corruption laws using local governments. It also plans to block state and local agreements for detaining individuals for federal immigration enforcement, prohibit the use of public land for such purposes, and make it more challenging for ICE to expand or maintain facilities in New Mexico.

For years, ICE has utilized local governments as intermediaries for no-bid contracts with private operators, avoiding scrutiny. This has led to abuses such as excessive solitary confinement and inadequate medical care. Seven other states have enacted similar laws recognizing that detention centers pose safety risks.

Victor Romero-Hernandez from Innovation Law Lab stated, “New Mexico is a place where we look out for one another... The Immigrant Safety Act is about living up to those values.” Marshall Martinez of Equality New Mexico emphasized protecting LGBTQ individuals in detention centers. Felipe Rodriguez from NM Dream Team highlighted the need for New Mexico to stop supporting mass deportation plans.

Rebecca Sheff from ACLU of New Mexico remarked on the "devastating human rights record" associated with immigration detention in the state and called the bill a crucial step toward ending such practices.

HB 9 will proceed through legislative hearings in the coming weeks.