SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — In a move met with both support and opposition, county commissioners in rural New Mexico voted to extend authorization for a migrant detention facility, despite objections from advocates for immigrant rights. The decision, made Wednesday, allows for the continuation of a partnership with federal authorities, despite ongoing concerns raised by critics regarding alleged inhumane conditions and due process violations at the privately operated Torrance County Detention Facility.
The Torrance County commission voted 3-0 in favor of the extension, which spans four months, effectively running through September. This agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) permits the detention of migrants at the facility.
During a public meeting, advocates reiterated their concerns about the facility’s living conditions and the limited access to legal counsel for asylum-seekers. They have long argued for the termination of the contract with the private detention operator. However, their appeals to both federal immigration authorities and state lawmakers to ban local government contracts for migrant detention have been unsuccessful.
On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) disclosed documents from ICE revealing that a 23-year-old Brazilian migrant, who had been denied asylum, did not receive adequate mental health care prior to his suicide in August 2022 at the Torrance County Detention Facility. ICE representatives contacted on Wednesday declined to immediately respond to the ACLU’s allegations.
The ACLU urged federal authorities to reconsider their contract with the Torrance County facility in light of a “mortality review” conducted by ICE’s health services corps following the death of Kelsey Vial. The review outlined Vial’s symptoms and treatment for depression while awaiting removal to Brazil, concluding that the detention center staff failed to provide adequate health care.
County Commissioner Sam Schropp dismissed the ACLU’s concerns, stating that the events described occurred nearly two years ago and do not reflect current conditions at the facility. He emphasized his own observations during unannounced visits, characterizing reports of desperation among migrants as “hearsay.”
Mike Zamore, representing the ACLU, petitioned a top ICE official to conduct a new review of the detention center before extending the contract beyond May. Zamore argued that, pending the review’s outcome, ICE should allow the contract for Torrance to expire, citing concerns over chronic violations of federal standards and dangerous conditions.
The detention center, located in Estancia, has the capacity to hold at least 505 adult male migrants at any given time, though actual populations may vary.
Torrance County Manager Janice Barela confirmed that federal authorities proposed the terms of the four-month extension of the services agreement for immigrant detention. She also noted that the county government separately contracts for jail space unrelated to immigration at the detention center, which serves as the county’s largest payer of property taxes.