Santa Fe, N.M. — New Mexico House Republicans are urging Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to veto House Bill 9, the so-called "Immigrant Safety Act", following its passage on the Senate floor. The legislation represents a dangerous step away from public safety, the rule of law, and constitutional cooperation between state and federal government.
HB 9 prohibits public bodies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities to house individuals detained for federal immigration violations and effectively ends New Mexico's participation in the federal 287(g) program. That program allows trained local law enforcement officers to work with federal authorities to identify, detain, and transfer violent criminal offenders who are in the country illegally.
Ending that cooperation does not make New Mexico safer. It makes it harder to remove individuals convicted of serious crimes, including drug and weapons trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, human trafficking, assault on law enforcement officers, rape, and homicide.
The legislation raises serious constitutional concerns by intentionally obstructing cooperation with federal law enforcement. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and state efforts to block lawful cooperation may conflict with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Rather than working within the law, HB 9 attempts to nullify federal enforcement through state policy.
In addition to public safety risks, HB 9 threatens hundreds of well-paying New Mexico jobs tied to detention facilities and related local economic activity. Communities that rely on these facilities for employment and economic stability would be hit hardest, all while the state continues to struggle with workforce participation and affordability.
By ending cooperation with federal authorities, HB 9 shields offenders while ignoring victims and the law-abiding New Mexicans who expect their government to take public safety seriously. Refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement does not solve problems. It creates new ones.
House Republicans are calling on the Governor to veto HB 9 and reject legislation that weakens public safety, threatens jobs, and invites costly constitutional challenges.
