New Mexico Immigration Cooperation Policies

New Mexico has not enacted a statewide sanctuary statute either prohibiting or compelling local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In 2019, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an executive directive limiting state agency participation in federal civil immigration enforcement, but that directive is administrative rather than statutory and does not preempt local jurisdictions. Counties and municipalities such as Bernalillo County, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque have adopted varying policies on detainer honoring and information sharing. Because New Mexico lacks an anti-sanctuary preemption law of the type seen in Texas or Florida, localities retain wide discretion to set their own cooperation policies within constitutional limits.

There are no statewide statutory penalties for jurisdictions adopting sanctuary or anti-sanctuary policies; disputes are typically resolved administratively or through federal grant conditions.