Defending and Advancing Civil Rights throughout the Borderlands

The ACLU–NM Regional Center for Border Rights (RCBR) addresses civil and human rights violations that stem from border-related immigration policies. The center works in conjunction with ACLU affiliates in California, Arizona and Texas and immigrant rights advocates throughout the border region.

The RCBR plays a unique role by facilitating collaboration among ACLU border affiliates and national ACLU legal projects—such as the Immigrant Rights Project, the Racial Justice Program, and the Human Rights Program—and the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. Through this work, the center aims to ensure that the human rights of people living in border communities are represented in immigration reform and in border enforcement policies.

In addition, the center provides outreach and public education services to immigrant communities and the general public in southern New Mexico about issues affecting the immigrant population. Through “Know Your Rights” presentations and materials, we inform immigrant groups about their civil and constitutional rights. We also work to dispel myths about immigration and to promote understanding of the constitutional rights that extend to all who reside within the U.S., whether citizen or visitor. We safeguard civil rights by investigating reports of abuse and seeking the best means of redress or resolution.

The RCBR does not provide direct services to people seeking legal status in the United States.  Please visit our page with immigration resources, where you can find important documents regarding immigrants’ rights as well as a list of organizations that may be able to assist with immigration cases.

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Our Work

• Public Education – RCBR staff regularly speak at community gatherings, meetings and in the press to raise awareness and increase public understanding of immigration issues and how they affect the nearly 12 million undocumented people living in the United States.  If you would like to arrange a speaker or schedule and interview with a RCBR staff member, please submit a request and we will contact you shortly.

• “Know Your Rights” Trainings – In an effort to connect with rural communities in southern New Mexico, the RCBR conducts dozens of “Know Your Rights” presentations throughout the year. Each presentation provides the tools that community members need to defend their civil rights when encountering law enforcement and to develop a family safety plan in the event of arrest, detention or deportation. If you would like to schedule a “Know Your Rights” training in your community, please submit a request and we will contact you to coordinate the details of the training.

• Policy Advocacy - The RCBR advocates for meaningful immigration and border policy reform locally in New Mexico, regionally throughout the southwestern states and nationally in Washington D.C. To learn more, you can read the ACLU-NM Policy on Immigration and Civil Liberties (PDF).

• Documentation and Investigation of Civil Rights Violations - The RCBR records and tracks civil rights abuses along the border for needs assessments, advocacy and accountability purposes. The RCBR is currently in the process setting up the first online, bi-national abuse documentation database in collaboration with immigrant advocacy groups on both sides of the U.S. Mexico Border. Once the system is implemented, it will provide consistent data for trends analysis, enabling the ACLU and coalition partners to track the location and severity of rights violations and leverage the data to affect policy change.

Key Areas of Concern

• Racial Profiling and Racial Justice
• Anti-Immigrant Laws and Ordinances
• Militarization of the Border
• Civil Rights Violations by Authorities
• Due Process in Detention and Removal
• Local Law Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law

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Contact Us

Regional Center for Border Rights
P.O. Box 727
Las Cruces, NM 88004

Tel: (575) 527-0664

Fax: (575) 527-0111

Email: rcbr@aclu-nm.org