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New Mexico Legislature· HB 9SGND BY GOV (Feb. 5) Ch. 5.

IMMIGRANT SAFETY ACT, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the New Mexico Legislature, fetched 2026-08-23. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official page appears here in brackets. This is the introduced version. The official bill page.
HOUSE BILL 9

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Eleanor Chávez and Angelica Rubio and Andrea Romero

and Marianna Anaya and Joseph Cervantes

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC BODIES; ENACTING THE IMMIGRANT SAFETY ACT;
PROHIBITING PUBLIC BODIES FROM ENTERING INTO AGREEMENTS USED TO
DETAIN INDIVIDUALS FOR FEDERAL CIVIL IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS AND
REQUIRING THE TERMINATION OF ANY SUCH EXISTING AGREEMENTS;
PROHIBITING PUBLIC BODIES FROM OTHERWISE USING PUBLIC PROPERTY
TO FACILITATE DETAINING INDIVIDUALS FOR FEDERAL CIVIL
IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1. [NEW MATERIAL] SHORT TITLE.--This act may be
cited as the "Immigrant Safety Act".

SECTION 2. [NEW MATERIAL] DEFINITION.--As used in the
Immigrant Safety Act, "public body" means a state or local
government, a sheriff's department, an advisory board, a
commission, an agency or an entity created by the constitution
of New Mexico or any branch of government that receives public
funding, including political subdivisions, special tax
districts, school districts and institutions of higher
education. "Public body" includes an entity or individual
acting on behalf of or within the scope of the authority of the
public body.

SECTION 3. [NEW MATERIAL] PROHIBITING PUBLIC BODIES FROM
ENTERING INTO AGREEMENTS USED TO DETAIN INDIVIDUALS FOR FEDERAL
CIVIL IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS AND REQUIRING PUBLIC BODIES TO
TERMINATE ANY SUCH EXISTING AGREEMENTS.--

A. A public body shall not enter into, renew or
otherwise agree to be a party to an agreement to detain
individuals for federal civil immigration violations, including
an intergovernmental services agreement to detain individuals
for civil immigration violations.

B. A public body that is a party to an existing
agreement that is used to detain individuals for federal civil
immigration violations shall, upon the effective date of the
Immigrant Safety Act, terminate the agreement upon the earliest
date permissible under the terms of the agreement, with respect
to all provisions that relate to the detention of individuals
for federal civil immigration violations.

C. A public body shall not sell, trade, lease or
otherwise dispose of any real property to be used for the
detention of individuals for federal civil immigration
violations.

D. A public body shall not impose or continue in
effect any law, ordinance, policy or regulation that violates
or conflicts with the provisions of the Immigrant Safety Act.

E. Nothing in this section shall be construed to
limit the ability of law enforcement personnel to detain
individuals or to perform brief investigative stops as
permitted by state law.

SECTION 4. [NEW MATERIAL] ENFORCEMENT.--

A. The attorney general or a district attorney may
institute a civil action in district court if the attorney
general or district attorney has reasonable cause to believe
that a violation of the Immigrant Safety Act has occurred or to
prevent a violation of that act from occurring.

B. In an action brought under Subsection A of this
section, the court may award appropriate relief, other than
monetary damages, to include declaratory and temporary,
preliminary or permanent injunctive relief.

SECTION 5. [NEW MATERIAL] SEVERABILITY.--If any part or
application of the Immigrant Safety Act is held invalid, the
remainder or its application to other situations or persons
shall not be affected.

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