HOBBS, N.M. — The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) announced May 2 that it will cease using the privately operated Lea County Correctional Facility (LCCF) in Hobbs by June 30, marking the final step in its transition to a fully state-run prison. The move follows the GEO Group’s decision not to renew its operating contract, leaving NMCD with no long-term options to continue using the facility.
While the timing of the announcement comes just weeks after House Bill 9 (HB9) failed to pass the state legislature, NMCD officials stressed that this decision is administrative and not the result of new legislative requirements. HB9, also known as the Immigrant Safety Act, would have prohibited public bodies in New Mexico from entering into or renewing contracts to hold individuals for federal civil immigration violations. The bill would have also required the termination of any existing contracts for immigration detention. Although HB9 passed the House during this year’s session, it ultimately stalled in the Senate and died when the 2025 session ended.
Because HB9 did not become law, local governments like Cibola County remain legally able to contract for immigration detention.
NMCD’s decision affects only state inmates and does not change the status of facilities like the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, which is privately operated by CoreCivic under a longstanding federal contract to hold ICE detainees. “Regarding the press release you cited in your inquiry, this matter does not involve CoreCivic, nor does it have any impact on our Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan.” - Ryan Gustin, Senior Communications Director for CoreCivic.
Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero called the closure of LCCF a 'strategic realignment' that allows the state to “optimize resources” and end its reliance on private contractors for housing state prisoners. 'The GEO Group’s decision to exit its contract left NMCD with no viable longterm path for continued use of the facility,' Lucero said in a statement. “We’ve transformed this challenge into an opportunity to complete our strategic transition to state-operated facilities.'
Inmates at LCCF will be relocated to existing staterun facilities across New Mexico. The move is expected to have minimal impact on the state's prison capacity, as NMCD reported there is adequate space for the transfers.
“Regarding the press release you cited in your inquiry, this matter does not involve CoreCivic, nor does it have any impact on our Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan,” Ryan Gustin, Senior Communications Director for CoreCivic, said in a May 15 email to the Citizen.
Meanwhile, immigration enforcement is ramping up across New Mexico as part of the federal government's new hardline approach. On May 2, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its weekly immigration enforcement statistics, showing aggressive prosecution activity. In just one week, 79 individuals were charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation, 11 with Alien Smuggling, and more than 140 with Illegal Entry—including 130 who also face charges for violating a military security regulation at a newly established National Defense Area on the US Southern Border with Mexico.
The same week saw a violent encounter near Santa Teresa, where a smuggling suspect physically assaulted two plainclothes Border Patrol agents during an arrest. The suspect was subdued and charged as part of a broader federal initiative known as Operation Take Back America, which aims to crack down on illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.
While New Mexico has opted to eliminate private prisons for its state inmates, federal immigration detention and prosecution remain aggressive and unchanged. The failure of HB9 means that facilities like the Cibola County Correctional Center will continue to hold ICE detainees, and local governments are not prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration operations.