The New Mexico State Ethics Commission has filed a lawsuit against Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero over the department’s practice of referring probationers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The lawsuit, filed under a state law passed in 2025, seeks to stop the practice and implement new policies to prevent it.

Background

The Commission has been investigating the Corrections Department’s practice of coordinating with federal immigration officers, which is prohibited under the 2025 Nondisclosure of Sensitive Personal Information Act. The law empowers the Commission to bring civil lawsuits against agencies that provide sensitive personal information to outside parties, except in limited circumstances.

According to the Commission, the Corrections Department has been referring probationers to ICE agents, resulting in at least seven deportations. The Commission has acquired additional evidence, including emails and records, that show the practice was more widespread than previously known and continued after the state law went into effect.

Lawsuit Details

The lawsuit asks a judge to order Tafoya Lucero to create a new policy prohibiting the practice and implement new training for probation officers. The lawsuit also seeks to impose new safeguards in the database state officers use to track probationers.

In a statement, Corrections Department spokesperson Brittany Roembach said the department has been conducting regular employee trainings regarding the new law and has been working with the Commission to reach an agreement. “We take these allegations and our responsibilities to those under our supervision seriously,” Roembach said. “We are committed to following the law, and anyone who is found in violation of the law will be held accountable.”

Original reporting: Las Cruces Sun News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.