Justice & Civil Liberties

Our civil rights and liberties are only real if every American benefits from them equally. 

From fighting for LGBTQ+ equality and increasing transparency and accountability in government, to reforming our broken immigration system, protecting your right to privacy, closing the gender wage gap, and reducing sexual and domestic violence, I will work to safeguard the rights of all New Mexicans. 

During my time in the Senate, I have also worked to rein in the NSA's pervasive and constitutionally flawed domestic surveillance activities and adopt reforms that protect privacy while ensuring American security.

Together, we will create a fairer, more just future for our children.

Latest

  • Heinrich, Rubio Urge USCIS To Ensure Eligible Immigrants Are Able To Complete Citizenship Process

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) – both sons of U.S. immigrants, naturalized citizens – sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Acting Director Kenneth Cuccinelli, requesting that the agency increase small in-person ceremonies and seek out alternative methods for eligible immigrants with approved naturalization applications to safely participate in U.S. Citizenship Oath of Allegiance Ceremonies. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Push to Ensure Detainees at ICE Detention Centers Are Guaranteed Access to Free Telephone Calls During COVID-19 Pandemic

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined 27 senators in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), urging the Trump administration to ensure that all ICE detention centers implement the agency's recent commitment to provide 520 free phone call minutes per month for each person in detention during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The letter also calls on DHS to guarantee that any telephonic or remote communication with attorneys remains confidential and unsupervised by detention center staff. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Co-Sponsor Bipartisan Never Again Education Act to Support Holocaust Education in the United States

    WASHINGTON -U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) signed on to the Never Again Education Act (S.2085), bipartisan legislation that would establish a dedicated federal fund to provide teachers with resources and training necessary to teach students across the United States about the Holocaust. The announcement comes following Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was observed last week. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Urge Release Of Detained Children Amid COVID-19 Crisis

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with 48 of their congressional colleagues, have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf urging the release of detained children amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the number of children in HHS custody infected with COVID-19 continues to increase, the lawmakers stress the need to protect the health and safety of children in U.S. custody. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Call on Trump Administration to Automatically Extend Work Authorizations for DACA & TPS Recipients Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

    WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined 36 Democratic Senators in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to automatically extend existing legal work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other impacted immigrants. In New Mexico, there are 1,900 DACA recipients working in health care, education, and food service-related jobs according to the Center for American Progress and 382 TPS recipients as of 2019 according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Read More

  • Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Udall and Heinrich Join Bipartisan Call to Increase Support for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined a bipartisan group of 39 senators in a letter calling on Senate leadership to include strong support for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in future legislation to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The senators highlighted a deeply concerning trend that service providers are reporting, in which many local law enforcement agencies are receiving an increased number of domestic violence-related calls, abusers are using COVID-19 to isolate their victims; withhold financial resources; refuse medical aid; and rape crisis centers are seeing increased need for services. Read More

  • N.M. Delegation Seeks Immediate Accountability Of ICE Facilities After COVID-19 Cases Confirmed At Otero

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Deb Haaland, and Xochitl Torres Small are raising concerns with Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Matthew T. Albence over reports that ICE detention facilities in New Mexico are not fully prepared to manage the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The letter comes after reports that both an employee and migrant have confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Otero County Processing Center. Read More