ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman is raising concerns about federal immigration enforcement in New Mexico, warning that certain actions by ICE agents could violate state law.
In a letter sent this week to ICE Assistant Field Office Director Bill Shaw, Bregman pointed to videos and reports from across the country alleging that ICE officers detained individuals without proper legal authority. He wrote that those incidents raise questions about how ICE operates locally.
Bregman cited New Mexico’s false imprisonment statute, which makes it a felony to intentionally confine or restrain someone without lawful authority. He emphasized that the law does not provide exceptions for law enforcement officers who detain a person without a warrant, reasonable suspicion, or probable cause.
According to the letter, any ICE agent operating in Bernalillo County who unlawfully restrains or detains someone could be subject to prosecution.
The district attorney said the concerns are based on national patterns of reported ICE activity, adding that those issues “undermine confidence in ICE leadership’s commitment to ensuring basic due process.”
ICE has not publicly commented on the letter.
