Alamogordo, NM(KKOB) –
The Otero County Commission has once again approved its contract with ICE to use the Otero Detention Center in Chaparral to house undocumented immigrants.
The vote comes after the New Mexico Department of Justice ruled that an emergency meeting held two weeks ago—where commissioners first approved the agreement—was invalid. The Attorney General said the county did not demonstrate an actual emergency that would justify bypassing normal notice requirements. County officials disagreed, arguing that letting the contract lapse would have created an economic emergency, including the potential loss of nearly 300 jobs tied to the detention center.
During Wednesday night’s regular meeting, commissioners took up the issue again and voted to approve the contract a second time. They also maintained they did nothing improper during the earlier emergency meeting, despite the state’s findings.
