Native Vote 2026
Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) is pushing back against a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Albuquerque and the State of New Mexico over policies aimed at limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The lawsuit, announced Thursday by the Department of Justice, challenges efforts by state and local officials to restrict coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Haaland responded with a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and vowed to defend immigrant communities in New Mexico.
“As ICE continues threatening communities across the country, the state is the first line of defense against the Trump administration,” Haaland said in a statement. “In New Mexico, we are lucky that the state and localities worked to lawfully pass legislation to protect New Mexicans and their families from ICE. We can’t let the federal government continue to exert their will on New Mexico and we won’t let them intimidate us.”
“We are a multicultural state, we must stand strong with our neighbors,” she continued. “That means as governor, I will do anything in my power to stop ICE from tearing families apart and committing crimes in our streets while advocating for strong, common sense immigration and border security reform.”
Haaland outlined several immigration-related policies she said she would pursue as governor. Her proposals include limiting ICE coordination with local and state resources, banning ICE agents from wearing masks while on duty, and requiring agents to clearly identify their agency affiliation. She also pledged to prohibit ICE operations within 500 yards of schools during the academic year, as well as near state courthouses, government buildings, churches, healthcare facilities, public parks, and culturally significant sites.
The former Interior secretary also pointed to her recent visit to an ICE detention center in Cibola County, where she said she witnessed conditions firsthand and reaffirmed her support for HB9, legislation aimed at protecting immigrant communities in New Mexico.
Haaland highlighted her background in law enforcement oversight during her tenure leading the U.S. Department of the Interior. As Interior secretary, she supervised multiple federal law enforcement agencies and established a task force focused on public safety standards, policy guidance, training, and resources for personnel. During her time in Congress, Haaland helped secure $350 billion in funding for state and local governments and law enforcement agencies. She also co-sponsored legislation intended to reform immigration enforcement practices and restrict family separations.
Throughout her political career, Haaland has advocated for immigrant and asylum seeker rights, including opposing the mass deportation of DREAMERS and calling for more immigration judges and officials to help process cases and address what she described as a broken immigration system
