Following Cibola Detention Center Visit, Haaland Lays Out Plan to Defend Communities, Stand Up to ICE
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – As ICE continues threatening communities across the country, Deb Haaland, who is running for governor in New Mexico, drew up a plan to hold ICE accountable and protect New Mexicans from ICE. Not only are they terrorizing families, under-trained ICE agents are making the work of local and state law enforcement more difficult.
This plan follows a visit to New Mexico’s Cibola Detention Center. At the facility, Haaland met with those recently detained and brought to Cibola, including Minneapolis organizers.
Over the last few weeks Haaland has attended protests and spoken with public safety officials, advocates, and families about what measures and actions they hope to see from New Mexico’s next governor.
As Governor, Haaland plans to:
- Limit ICE coordination with local and state resources.
- Ban ICE agents from wearing masks on the job.
- Require ICE to self-identify their agency.
- Prohibit ICE from operating within 500 yards of a school during the school year, state courthouses or state government buildings, churches or religious institutions, healthcare facilities, public parks, and significant cultural sites.
Because leadership starts with listening and learning, Haaland visited the ICE detention center to see conditions firsthand and conduct intake interviews for potential legal assistance.
After volunteering at the detention center in Cibola County Haaland said, “ICE is putting New Mexicans and our public safety officials at risk. What I saw today affirmed that President Trump doesn’t actually care about crime, but instead he has ordered ICE to terrorize communities. We can’t let the federal government continue to exert their will on New Mexico. We are a multicultural state, we must stand strong with our neighbors. That means as governor, I will do anything in my power to stop ICE from tearing families apart and committing crimes in our streets.”
Haaland also reaffirmed her support of HB9, a bill that passed New Mexico’s legislature and was signed by the governor that bans ICE detention centers in our state. She will also work with New Mexico’s congressional delegation to continue putting a limit on funding the federal agency that runs ICE.
As Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Haaland led several law enforcement agencies across the department and stood up a law enforcement task force that implemented the highest standards for protecting the public and providing necessary policy guidance, resources, and training to agency personnel. While in Congress, Deb delivered $350 billion for state and local governments and law enforcement agencies. She also co-sponsored legislation that would reform immigration enforcement and restrict family separations.
Haaland has stood up for the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers. She rallied against the mass deportation of DREAMERS and continues to advocate adding more judges and officials to process immigration cases and fix the broken immigration system.