The New Mexico Department of Justice has issued critical guidance for leaders of schools, hospitals, courthouses, and other community spaces following changes to federal immigration policy under the Trump administration.
A Trump executive order this week rescinded long-standing protections that shielded those in more vulnerable locations from immigration enforcement actions.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the state’s new guidelines yesterday and argued that the threat of raids and arrests are a distraction from the true challenges.
“I think a lot of people who have worked on the border are focused on the things that matter most," said Torrez.
"Investigations involving human trafficking, cartels, and I, for one—and I think a lot of people agree—that's where the Trump administration should be focused, but instead, they've really ratcheted up the rhetoric and misused and distorted, and frankly tried to instill a sense of fear in local officials.”
That’s Torrez in a CNN clip posted by the attorney general’s office yesterday.
The new guidance from the New Mexico DOJ provides advice to help local leaders navigate the intersection of state and federal law while minimizing disruptions caused by immigration enforcement activities.
The order has drawn concern for its potential to disrupt essential services.
In the Department of Justice announcement, there was no mention of threats to or protections of indigenous communities, but there have been independent reports that members of Navajo Nation have endured Immigration and Customs Enforcement or (ICE) raids in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
In an announcement issued yesterday, one Navajo official reported that a Navajo citizen had been detained for nine hours.
The Navajo Nation Naabik’íyáti’ Committee yesterday called on President Buu Nygren to take action to address concerns about the ICE Raids in the southwest.
Navajo officials report that several Diné people have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who do not recognize their Certificates of Indian Blood or state-issued IDs as valid proof of citizenship.
The committee has proposed measures to enhance the Navajo Nation’s identification system, including resources to issue tribal IDs recognized by federal agencies.
