Across the country, immigrant communities are facing increasing violence. Masked agents are kidnapping people, stoking violence within communities, and physically tearing apart families - leaving children crying while they're pried out of the arms of their loving parents. Entire communities are living in panicked hiding. These actions are not isolated events but part of a broader pattern of cruelty designed to strip dignity from those who are already marginalized.
“We know that justice for LGBTQ people cannot be separated from justice for immigrants, because so many in our communities hold both of those identities.”
The fight to protect immigrants is being led in New Mexico by groups like the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Contigo Immigrant Justice, ACLU-NM, and many others. These organizations have worked tirelessly to mitigate harm, pass legislation, and educate the public.
Between the new detention facility at Fort Bliss, and the guidance released to detention centers to stop counting demographics like gender-expansivity or non-heterosexuality, it’s more crucial than ever that we support our immigrant organizations, fight for the Immigrant Safety Act, and stand with Queer and Trans immigrants.
“We know that the people detained across New Mexico’s three detention centers can’t wait one more day for relief. Every day someone is detained is another day they are away from their family, their job, and their basic human dignity. New Mexico has the power to take action and end the suffering of those detained and protect others from enduring these unsafe conditions by passing the Immigrant Safety Act. The Immigrant Safety Act would prohibit New Mexico state and local governments from entering into agreements to detain people in federal civil immigration custody. This bill would close a loophole that allows ICE and for-profit detention contractors to use New Mexico counties as passthroughs to avoid normal scrutiny of the disastrous safety records of those contractors in running New Mexico’s immigration detention centers.” -Jessica Martinez, New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
Queer immigrants live a distinct experience. They often flee violence, discrimination, and economic instability in their countries of origin, only to face new dangers in the United States. For LGBTQ immigrants, detention is life-threatening, with reports of abuse and denial of medical care. For trans immigrants, the risks multiply. Discrimination at the border, compounded with the barriers of language and legal status, makes survival a daily act of courage. When the country enacts policies that target immigrants, Queer and Trans immigrants feel the blow twice over.
We know that immigrants are part of the fabric of our state. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, and our loved ones. We know that queer immigrants build families here, create art here, labor here, and lead movements here. Our liberation is tied together.
When one community is attacked, the safety of all is threatened. To stand for queer liberation without standing for immigrant justice would be to deny the very principle of solidarity.
It is vital to remember that our state has a long history of resilience and collective care. Immigrants in New Mexico have organized for decades to expand access to education, healthcare, and protection from deportation. Many of these victories have been won through coalitions that bring together immigrants, LGBTQ people, workers, and faith communities. These alliances remind us that power grows when we refuse to be divided.
“In light of what we are witnessing across the country, we must ensure the safety of our community. We must stand in our power as a community and continue to uplift voices of immigrants who are enduring dangerous conditions, due process violations, racial profiling, and systems of harm. We as a state have the power to end the suffering of detainees and ensure the safety of our community and that is by taking a stance to refuse to be complicit in human rights abuses. Our movement continues to grow and we will keep advocating for the Immigrant Safety Act and working with our champions in the legislature until this bill is passed.”- Jessica Martinez, New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
There are resources here for those seeking support. Organizations such as:
New Mexico Immigrant Law Center provides legal assistance and advocacy for immigrant families.
Somos Un Pueblo Unido organizes immigrant workers and fights for policies that expand protections.
Contigo Immigrant Justice (formerly Santa Fe Dreamers Project) supports undocumented people, especially LGBTQ+ immigrants, with legal and social services.
The Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico offers direct support and advocacy for trans and nonbinary people, including immigrants.
Together, these groups create a network of care that ensures people are not left to face attacks alone.
We remain committed to building a state where all people can live with safety, dignity, and belonging. That commitment requires us to speak out against every attempt to criminalize immigrants and to fight alongside them for justice. It requires us to listen to queer immigrants in our community and follow their leadership. It requires us to recognize that immigrant justice is not a separate struggle from our own but part of the same fight for liberation.