Justice & Civil Liberties

America has made tremendous strides toward advancing and protecting our civil rights and liberties, but those rights are only real if every American benefits from them equally. From fighting for marriage equality, to protecting your right to privacy, to increasing transparency and accountability in government, to closing the gender wage gap, I will work to safeguard the rights of all New Mexicans. Together, we will create a fairer, more just tomorrow for our children.

Latest

  • Following Washington Post Report, Senators Reiterate Calls for Full Disclosure of Trump-Saudi Business Ties

    WASHINGTON - Today, a group of 11 Democratic senators are reiterating their call for President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization to disclose any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following a Washington Post report that lobbyists representing the Saudi government paid for 500 rooms at the Trump D.C. hotel shortly after President Trump's election. Last month, after the Saudi-led killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to President Donald Trump and to the Trump Organization seeking a full accounting of any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but the senators never received a response to their inquiry. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Harris Call On ICE And CBP To Release Documentation On Death Of Transgender Woman In ICE Custody

    Dec. 5, 2018) - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Ronald D. Vitiello and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan urging the immediate public release of a death review and supporting documentation on Roxana Hernández, a 33-year old transgender woman who died at a New Mexico hospital while in ICE custody. The senators have also requested documentation of ICE and CBP training related specifically to the treatment and safety of transgender individuals in custody. Read More

  • Heinrich Urges Increased Funding To Protect Places Of Worship, Community Centers

    U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined a bipartisan group of Senators in pressing for robust community safety funding in any FY19 appropriations package. Specifically, the Senators have called for a minimum of $50 million for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and $10 million for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Nonprofit Security Grant program which helps nonprofit organizations like religious institutions, schools, and community centers make security improvements. This follows the mass shooting last month at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, the third mass shooting event in a house of worship in three years and the deadliest attack on the American Jewish community in our country's history. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Introduce Native American Voting Rights Act

    "Our nation's democracy is founded on the right to vote and the ability of every citizen to participate in that process equally," said Heinrich. "Unfortunately, there are many obstacles in Indian Country that stand in the way of Native Americans’ ability to vote-from language barriers and burdensome voter ID requirements to the locations of polling places for remote and rural communities. I’m proud to support this legislation to provide resources and oversight to overcome those obstacles and ensure equal access to our democracy." Read More