Estrella del Paso Calls on New Mexico State Senator to Correct Inaccurate and Damaging Remarks About Detaining Migrants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2024 Contact: Sandra Ramirez Estrella del Paso 915-539-2855 sramirez@estrelladelpaso.org

Immigration Legal Services Nonprofit Calls on New Mexico State Senator to Correct Inaccurate and Damaging Remarks About Detaining Migrants

El Paso, Texas: Estrella del Paso, formerly Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services (DMRS), is calling on State Senator Joe Cervantes (D-NM) to publicly correct inaccurate and troubling remarks he made during a Floor Session of the New Mexico Senate. Senator Cervantes misused a quote from a member of the Estrella del Paso team to support detaining migrants in ICE custody, something that Estrella del Paso does not support.

On February 6, 2024, SB145, the Dignity not Detention Bill went before the New Mexico Senate for consideration. The bill proposed ending the collaboration between local governments and ICE to detain and deport migrants in New Mexico. While the bill is directly related to detaining migrants in ICE custody, Senator Cervantes used a quote by Estrella del Paso Legal Director Imelda Maynard responding to the expansion of a Customs and Border Protection Processing Center. The original quote appeared in Border Report: “Anytime the U.S. expands its capacity to process people faster and hopefully more humanely, that’s always a good thing,” said Maynard in the article.

The expansion was in response to an influx of arrivals during which asylum seekers were fenced outdoors under a bridge in the desert sun. CBP processing is vastly different from ICE detention. CBP processing is typically between 2-3 days, whereas ICE detention can last weeks, months, even years in extreme cases. Senator Cervantes’ choice to use this quote to defend ICE detention is not only grossly inaccurate but could also damage our clients’ trust in this organization.

Response from Imelda Maynard, Estrella del Paso Legal Director: “There is no dignity in detention. The expeditious processing of migrants into the United States so they can find safety and peace as they navigate our asylum system is categorically different from penalizing migrants by detaining them in ICE detention centers run by private entities who prioritize profits over people. When I applauded increased CBP processing capabilities in the Border Report, I did so because at the time CBP increased its capacity to allow people into the United States thereby lessening their wait time in Mexico. To be clear these people were not held for more than a few days as their medical and background checks cleared. We do not support the detention of migrants or any system that subjects traumatized people into having to undergo a complex legal proceeding without the ability to have access to counsel or feel safe. To insinuate that either I as an individual or as a representative of Estrella del Paso (formerly DMRS) would in any way support the criminalization of people seeking safety by subjecting them to presenting their asylum claims while detained is not only a gross misunderstanding of my words and the context in which they were spoken but also a clear misunderstanding of our immigration system. Estrella del Paso and I firmly believe in the dignity inherent to all human beings by virtue of us being God’s creation, we believe all belong and should be allowed to pursue their requests for asylum free of detention.”

Response from Melissa M. Lopez, Estrella del Paso Executive Director: “We applaud the state of New Mexico’s continued work to eliminate the detention of immigrants in New Mexico. However, we are gravely concerned that a statement made in favor of improving the humane processing of immigrants entering our country was misconstrued and twisted by Senator Cervantes to support the continued detention of immigrants. Senator Cervantes conflated two completely different issues. For over 37 years, Estrella del Paso (formerly known as Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services) has served well over half a million individuals. In 2023 alone, we served over 57,000 individuals. We have worked hard to advocate for the best interests of those we serve and for policies that better the lives in immigrants. Using our reputation and misconstruing a quote given by our Legal Director to argue against a pro-immigrant bill in the New Mexico Senate is contrary to our mission and the work we have dedicated ourselves to for over 37 years. I welcome a conversation with any member of the New Mexico Senate to clarify Senator Cervantes’ erroneous statements. While we welcome all efforts to process individuals entering the United States humanely and quickly, we do not believe that detention of individuals fleeing violence and seeking a better future serves the best interests of those individuals or our communities. We are immigrant communities enriched by the love, culture, and language of our ancestors and those who continue to join our communities. Our message to everyone who arrives in our communities is: You Belong.”