MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:30 AM MST	CONTACT: Whitney Potter, ACLU of New Mexico (505) 507-9898 or Laura Rodriguez, MALDEF (310) 956-2425
What: The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico will make an important announcement about collaborative efforts to defend the civil rights of Latino families in Chaparral, New Mexico. Due to the sensitivity of this matter, we are unable to discuss further details until the time of the press conference. Speakers: Peter Simonson, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Mexico; and David Urias, Staff Attorney for MALDEF Where: ACLU of New Mexico Southern Regional Office & Border Rights Project 129 South Downtown Mall Las Cruces, NM  88005 (Catty-corner to the Music Box) When: Wednesday, October 17, 2007, 9:30 AM MST Why: During the September immigration raids, Otero County Sheriffs broke a basic bond of trust with the community of Chaparral.  When the police treat people like criminals because of the language they speak and the color of their skin, families can no longer go to them for help when they are victims of or witnesses to crimes. We need to restore policing to its proper mission in Chaparral so citizens and immigrants alike can trust that someone is watching out for their safety.
# # # Founded in 1968, MALDEF, the nation's leading Latino legal organization, promotes and protects the rights of Latinos through litigation, advocacy, community education and outreach, leadership development, and higher education scholarships. For more information on MALDEF, please visit:www.maldef.org. The mission of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico is to maintain and advance the cause of civil liberties within the state of New Mexico, with particular emphasis on the freedom of religion, speech, press, association, and assemblage, and the right to vote, due process of law and equal protection of law, and to take any legitimate action in the furtherance and defense of such purposes. These objectives shall be sought wholly without political partisanship.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 3, 2007
CONTACT: Whitney Potter (505) 266 5915 ext. 1003, Cell (505) 507 9898
ALBUQUERQUE—The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) gave back almost $23,000 to truck driver Anastasio Prieto in response to a civil rights lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico.  The DEA seized the money in connection with a search of Prieto’s truck that occurred at a weigh station north of El Paso on August 8.  DEA agents had no evidence that Prieto was involved in illegal activity.
“Carrying around large amounts of cash is not a crime in America,” said ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson.  “But our federal laws have so empowered law enforcement to investigate drug activity that some officers assume they can simply cut the corners and dispense with the need for actual evidence.  That’s what occurred in Mr. Prieto’s case, and we were glad that our involvement could set the record straight—at least in this instance.”
While claims have been dropped against the DEA, Prieto has an ongoing lawsuit against the New Mexico state police for their role in the money seizure.  During the August 8 incident, state officers—who are yet to be identified--asked to search Prieto’s truck and if it contained “needles or cash in excess of ten thousand dollars.”  Prieto consented to the search and replied that, while he did not have any needles, he did have nearly $24,000 in his possession.
Officers took the money and turned it over DEA officials, who informed Prieto that he would need to prove in an administrative hearing that the money truly is his, and that it did not derive from illegal drug sales.  Agents told Prieto that the process would “probably take a year.”
Simonson said, “It appears that the DEA pulled some strings to speed the process up and get Mr. Prieto’s money back to him.  Probably they feared bad publicity.  Most Americans are deeply offended by the notion that the government can so arbitrarily deprive a law-abiding citizen of his or her hard-earned cash.”
Both Albuquerque and Santa Fe newspapers published editorial comments decrying the DEA’s actions.  [link to Journal editorial and Sandy’s column in New Mexican.]
ACLU attorneys Cid Lopez, George Bach, and Maureen Sanders filed the suit on Prieto’s behalf in federal court.  The ACLU has filed a public records request with the Department of Public Safety to determine the identity of the officers who originally seized Prieto’s money.

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Related Documents:

Prieto Complaint

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Press Release: DEA Takes Trucker's Money; ACLU Wants It Given Back

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2007
CONTACT: Whitney Potter (505) 266 5915 ext. 1003, Cell (505) 507 9898
FARMINGTON—Controversy over the creation of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at Piedra Vista High School (Farmington) prompted the intervention of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico today.  In a letter to Piedra Vista Principal Ann Gattis, the ACLU affirmed the school’s “legal obligation to permit the GSA to form,” despite religious objections by some parents in the community.
“The reactionary sentiments of a few vocal parents do not override the school’s free speech obligation to treat all non-curricular clubs alike,” said ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson.  “The school either maintains a fair and open forum for clubs to exist, or it doesn’t.  It cannot pick and choose which clubs it is going to endorse based on the narrow set of beliefs of some parents.”
The ACLU’s letter lists seven recent cases in which federal courts protected the establishment of GSAs.  In one such case, the court explained:
The [school] may be uncomfortable about students discussing sexual orientation and how all students need to accept each other, whether gay or straight . . . . [H]owever, . . . [the school] cannot censor the students’ speech to avoid discussions on campus that cause them discomfort or represent an unpopular viewpoint.
Colin ex rel. Colin v. Orange Unified Sch. Dist., 83 F. Supp. 2d 1135, 1149 (C.D. Cal. 2000).
Simonson said, “GSAs are intended to foster tolerance and respect among students, and a learning environment that’s free of bullying.  Why would any parent oppose those things in their children’s school?  Participation in the club is entirely up to the student, as it is with all student clubs.”

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Related Documents:

Letter to Farmington Board of Education

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ACLU's Letter to Piedra Vista Principal Ann Gattis

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National ACLU LGBT Rights Project