NMDOJ says Otero County broke the law when it met to extend immigrant detention contract

The NMDOJ review nullifies the unanimous decision commissioners made at the end of a 12-minute meeting March 13.

By: Patrick Lohmann

Outlets: Source New Mexico

Published: March 20, 2026

Words: 451

Last Updated: 15 hours, 39 minutes ago

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The Otero County Commission violated the New Mexico Open Meetings Act when it held an emergency meeting March 13 to extend a contract allowing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to house detainees at its jail, the New Mexico Department of Justice said on Friday.

The NMDOJ review nullifies the unanimous decision commissioners made at the end of a 12-minute meeting to adopt a five-year contract extension with ICE, according to a New Mexico …

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