2026 HB 9 Immigrant Safety Act

CVNM Position:

Support

Priority:

CVNM Priority Vote

Year:

2026

Sponsors:

Eleanor Chávez

Topics:

Effective Government
Environmental Justice
Water

Legislative Info:

HB 9 on nmlegis.gov »

Description

It is well documented that ICE is sweeping up people who “look like” criminal immigrants and warehousing them in facilities far from where most of them live. Aging infrastructure and lack of functioning climate control systems in these detention centers leave people in ICE custody vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including heat waves, cold snaps and dust storms. Additionally, detention centers and the private companies who run them have a long history of environmental abuse. Several have contaminated soils and groundwater with toxic chemicals, including asbestos, benzene, lead, and mercury that continue to contaminate watersheds and rivers. CVNM strongly supported this legislation because we know that global heating and climate change impacts everyone, and is a predominant contributing factor driving human migration. Equity and climate justice require that all climate migrants–whether U.S. residents moving internally or international climate migrants crossing the border into the U.S.–be treated with respect and dignity.

Outcome

Passed the House Floor (40-29), and the Senate Floor (24-15), and was signed by the Governor on Feb. 5, 2026.