Jobs on the line: Dems won’t even step inside the ICE facilities they want to ban

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has declined Republican lawmakers’ invitation to tour New Mexico’s largest immigration detention facility, citing a “busy schedule,” even as her party faces mounting criticism for canceling a long-promised legislative tour of the same center.

Republican legislators Rep. Andrea Reeb and Sen. Crystal Brantley had invited the governor to join them on Monday at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, where an average of 863 detainees are currently held. But the governor’s spokesperson, Michael Coleman, brushed aside the request. “The governor has a busy schedule on Monday and won’t be joining in the tour,” he said, adding that no final decision has been made yet on whether the governor will seek to include a statewide ban on ICE facilities in her upcoming special session call.

The refusal coincides with a new controversy surrounding the Courts, Corrections, and Justice Committee (CCJ), which abruptly canceled its own long-planned visit to Otero. Records show the cancellation followed objections from Vice-Chair Christine Chandler (D–Los Alamos), a vocal opponent of ICE facilities. Committee Chair Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D–Las Cruces) has since issued two conflicting explanations, raising further questions about the real motivation.

In his most recent statement — circulated after Brantley arranged her own visit — Cervantes said the Otero stop was “not a sanctioned CCJ activity” and claimed Otero County could not “assure cooperation from ICE.” He also cited logistical concerns involving transportation, meals, and timing.

But in an earlier message to colleagues, Cervantes gave a different story. He claimed ICE had “not returned phone calls” and suggested committee members might be required to submit to background checks as a condition of entry — something he said “some members might reasonably object to.” In the same message, he admitted canceling the tour “in consultation with Rep. Chandler.” Background checks are standard for such tours, and using that as an excuse is objectively farcical.

Ironically, Chandler’s district has the most to lose if the move to attempt to shutter ICE facilities prompts the federal government to pull out of the vehemently hostile New Mexico, as her district encompasses Los Alamos National Labs, worth billions in revenue to the state. She still appears to want to poke the bear and anger the Trump administration, despite the consequences.

The shifting accounts have fueled accusations that Cervantes’ claims about ICE were little more than cover for partisan politics. Republicans note that Brantley successfully scheduled her own tour with a simple request, undermining the narrative that access was impossible. They argue the cancellation was prompted not by logistics, but by left-wing protests and internal opposition.

Instead of seeing the facility firsthand, Democrats on the committee have reworked the agenda to hear from Otero County commissioners, the governor’s staff, and proponents of legislation banning ICE contracts. Critics say this one-sided approach silences the voices of employees, families, and local officials who depend on the facilities.

The economic stakes are significant. According to federal data, Otero houses an average of 863 detainees daily, Torrance 444, and Cibola 223 — more than 1,500 people statewide. Together, these facilities sustain hundreds of jobs for correctional officers, medical personnel, and support staff. They also pump tens of millions of dollars into rural county budgets through federal contracts. Closing them would cripple local economies already struggling with limited revenue streams.

Moreover, closing facilities in New Mexico would not end immigration detention — detainees would simply be transferred elsewhere, including facilities in Texas, Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” or even Guantanamo Bay. For New Mexico, that would mean all the economic loss without changing federal enforcement practices.

Republicans insist it is irresponsible to even begin to debate shutting down detention centers without lawmakers — and the governor — even setting foot inside to see operations firsthand. “Before we take any action with such far-reaching implications, it is essential that we have a clear understanding of the conditions within these facilities,” Reeb and Brantley wrote in their invitation to the governor.

While Democrats point to scheduling conflicts, logistical issues, and background check requirements, Republicans are moving forward with their tour on Monday. They say the public deserves transparency, and that decisions of this magnitude should be made with facts, not political spin.

For now, the contrast is sharp: Republicans are willing to confront the issue directly, while the governor and her legislative allies decline to see the facilities they are proposing to close — leaving New Mexico communities to wonder how their livelihoods and budgets will be protected if those doors are shuttered.