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Counties tell Senate Finance bill to end ICE contracts would strip millions from rural budgets
Summary
County and municipal officials told the Senate Finance Committee that House Bill 9’s termination of ICE detention contracts would remove millions in local revenue and force higher prisoner-transport and service costs, urging short-term 'hold harmless' relief and a cross-agency recovery plan.
A state corrections official and county leaders told the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 9 that House Bill 9, which will end certain ICE detention contracts, could sharply reduce local revenues and raise operating costs for rural New Mexico counties that host private detention facilities.
"The New Mexico Corrections Department does not oversee these facilities," Secretary Alicia Tafoya Lucero told the panel, but said her agency and partner departments stand ready to help with workforce transition and site reuse. "We would be very much involved . . . holding job fairs, things of that nature," she said.
County finance officers and municipal managers detailed projected losses and operational impacts. Kate Fletcher, county manager for Cibola County, introduced a finance presentation showing constrained reserves and warned that the county could face significant reductions to its general fund and capital capacity if…
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